Kyiv, October 7,2026: Russia launched one of its biggest overnight attacks on Ukraine, firing dozens of missiles and drones at targets across the country, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying at least 11 people were killed.
Zelenskiy said Russia fired around 70 missiles and numerous drones, with Ukraine’s energy infrastructure among the key targets. He described Russian ballistic missiles as the biggest challenge and called for additional air defence systems.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 130 drones, 48 cruise missiles and ballistic missiles during the overnight assault. It said air defence units intercepted or destroyed 161 aerial targets.
The attacks focused on Kyiv and Poltava in central Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk in the southeast and Kharkiv in the northeast.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out a “massive strike” against military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions using high-precision weapons launched from land, sea and air, along with drones. Moscow said the targets included facilities operated by Ukrainian defence company Fire Point, which it said manufactures and stores Flamingo cruise missiles and medium- and long-range drones.
The Russian ministry also said strikes targeted port and ship-repair infrastructure in the Odesa region and vessels it claimed were being used in support of Ukraine’s armed forces.
In the northern Chernihiv region, a Russian missile struck a five-storey residential building in Pryluky. Ukrainian authorities initially reported at least four people killed and 20 wounded, while later reports put the death toll from the wider attack higher.
Several Kyiv residents sought shelter in the city’s underground metro stations as air-raid warnings were issued. Loud explosions were heard across the capital during the night.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said emergency power cuts had been introduced in five regions following the attacks. Strikes also damaged an industrial facility in Dnipro, transport infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia and apartment buildings in Kremenchuk, according to regional officials.
The latest assault came amid continuing attacks on energy and military infrastructure and growing pressure on Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities. Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for additional air-defence systems, particularly to counter ballistic missiles.
