Large-scale Russian drone and missile attack targets the Ukrainian capital

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv came under a heavy attack by drones and missiles early on Sunday, the largest strike carried out by Russian forces since the start of the war.

Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv military administration, wrote on the Telegram app that at least three people were killed and about 10 others were wounded in the city. Tkachenko said one of the dead was a 12-year-old girl, but that has not been officially confirmed.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Russia launched a “massive” air assault on the country with hundreds of missiles and drones.

He added that the attack underscored the need for tougher sanctions on Russia to force it to halt its aggression.

Writing on the X platform in a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: “Putin must feel the danger of this war continuing — to himself, his associates, his economy and his regime… that is what could make him stop this irrational war.”

Authorities said several other areas were struck and that at least 16 people were wounded, including three children, in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

Footage shared on social media showed damage to a number of buildings and fires burning in Zaporizhzhia.

In Kyiv, witnesses told Reuters that drones were flying over the city and air defences fired for several hours. Loud explosions were heard. The attack was still ongoing by 9:15 a.m. (0615 GMT).

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a blaze broke out at a government cardiac hospital as a result of the attack. Some residents took shelter in metro stations.

At the same time, neighbouring Poland closed its airspace near two cities in the southeast of the country and deployed air force jets to monitor the skies.