Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new details emerge.
At least 10 people have been killed and 124 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.
Ukraine’s National Police initially reported 15 fatalities, but Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko noted that operational data may change, as body parts found during rescue efforts can be mistakenly recorded as multiple victims.
The almost nine-hour-long attack saw Moscow’s forces launch large numbers of kamikaze attack drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital.
Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported the sounds of drones, missiles, and multiple rounds of explosions throughout the night.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. The strike primarily targeted Kyiv.
Ukraine’s air defense forces reportedly destroyed 428 air targets, including 239 Shahed drones and 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles. Air defenses also intercepted one Kinzhal missile, while another was reportedly lost from radar tracking.
15 people have been killed and at least 124 people have been injured, according to the latest reports.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault “one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv,” saying more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched across Ukraine overnight.
“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” he said in a statement on social media. “And the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists.”
Zelensky confirmed that damage had been reported in eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency workers still searching for survivors beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment block.
In a video posted on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said cluster munitions had been found in one area of the city. He later added that June 18 would be an official day of mourning in Kyiv.
Many of the deaths and injuries occured when a Russian missile hit a nine-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district, “completely destroying” one section, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.
“I saw the missile because it was low,” Olena Kushnirova, a 46-year-old nurse who lives in a neighboring building to the one that was hit, told the Kyiv Independent.
“I grabbed my daughter by the hand and shouted ‘run!’ It was literally 15 seconds. We ran to the toilet and it then there was a very powerful explosion.”
During the attack on the capital, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen died in the Solomianskyi district in a building across from where medics were assisting the injured, Klitschko reported. Medical personnel confirmed biological death.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack, calling it a “massive and brutal strike” timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit.
“Putin does this on purpose… He sends a signal of total disrespect to the United States and other partners who have called for an end to the killing,” Sybiha said. “Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong.”
A Russian drone also hit a multi-storey building Darnytskyi District.
“At first there was shock,” Tatiana Bratus, a 50-year-old resident of the building told the Kyiv Independent.
“People started running outside, shouting, some in panic, because the attack wasn’t over yet. They said there were still rockets flying. People ran to the bomb shelter.
A kindergarten in the Darnytskyi district was also damaged, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration said. No casualties were reported at the site.
The upper floors of residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts were also damaged.
A dormitory at the Kyiv Aviation Institute was hit by drones during the attack, the news outlet Suspilne reported. Drones struck the institute’s 10th floor and broke windows on three others.
Outside the capital, the attacks also caused damage and injured civilians in Kyiv Oblast towns. At least one woman was injured and multiple homes damaged, according to the regional administration.
The Russian strike damaged the production facility of Fahrenheit, a Ukrainian clothing manufacturer that supplies apparel and undergarments for both civilians and the military. The company announced it was forced to cancel all current orders and suspend new ones indefinitely following the destruction of its Kyiv site.
Russian forces also hit a Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) freight train carrying grain. Several railcars overturned, temporarily halting operations and spilling grain from the damaged wagons. Ukrzaliznytsia said the damage would be “promptly repaired” and train traffic would not be affected.
Ukrposhta, Ukraine’s national postal service, reported the destruction of two of its branches in Kyiv during the attack, according to CEO Ihor Smiliansky. The company’s team is working to “quickly restore services,” he said.
The attack followed a series of drone strikes overnight on June 16 targeting Kyiv Oblast, including both the capital and surrounding settlements. In the Obukhiv district, a 60-year-old man was injured, according to regional authorities.
Russian attacks against Ukraine have intensified in May and June, with Moscow launching several record-breaking mass strikes against Kyiv and other cities.
Kateryna Hodunova
