Russian Drone Kills 5 Civilians; Zelensky Condemns ‘Vile’ Strike on Capital

KYIV, UKRAINE — At least five people were killed and dozens injured after a Russian drone penetrated an apartment block in eastern Kyiv during a “massive” wave of overnight strikes across the Ukrainian capital.

The most tragic incident occurred in the Lisovyi area, where a drone struck the seventh floor of a high-rise, causing multiple floors—from the fourth up to the eighth—to collapse. Eyewitness Vita, a local resident, described the horror, saying she saw all four bodies being pulled out of a nearby apartment.

Condemning the aerial assault, President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the attacks as “vile and calculated,” stating that Russia launched approximately 430 drones and 18 missiles nationwide, deliberately targeting civilians and high-rise apartment blocks.

A drone killed at least two people at a market in Chornomorsk in southern Ukraine

Widespread Damage and Chaos

Residential buildings came under attack “in practically every district,” according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration. The city’s military administration issued shelter warnings shortly after midnight local time on Thursday night amid the roar of explosions and air defenses.

Emergency services reported widespread damage:

• Casualties: Nine people are being treated in hospital, one in an “extremely serious condition.”
• Rescue Efforts: More than 40 people were rescued, including one pulled from beneath rubble.
• Infrastructure: Energy infrastructure was badly hit, leaving some parts of the capital without heat. Falling debris also damaged a hospital, school, and administrative buildings.

The attack on Kyiv was not isolated; two people were also killed in a drone attack on a market in Chornomorsk in the south of the country.

Kyiv fire service said the drone destroyed several floors of the entire block of flats

Ukraine Responds with ‘Long Neptunes’

In response to the Russian offensive, Ukraine launched its own counterattacks overnight. President Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces fired long-range “Long Neptune” cruise missiles at targets in Russia.

These strikes successfully hit the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, damaging the major Sheskharis oil refinery, hitting a docked ship and apartment blocks. Mayor Andrei Kravchenko declared a state of emergency, and reports indicate that oil exports from the key hub have been temporarily halted.