Overview
- Russia sent waves of attack drones and missiles on Wednesday and Thursday, hitting Kyiv and other cities and leaving at least 24 people dead with dozens more injured.
- Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down 652 drones and 41 missiles from a mix that included Kinzhal and Iskander ballistic weapons, yet blasts still struck homes, schools and clinics in the capital.
- In Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, a residential block partially collapsed during the strikes, and rescue crews reported people trapped under rubble and water service cut on the city’s left bank.
- Ukraine responded with a large drone strike in Russia’s Ryazan region that local officials said killed three people and ignited a major oil refinery, with another fire reported at an industrial site in Krasnodar.
- The escalation followed a brief ceasefire and triggered knock-on effects such as Slovakia’s border closure for security reasons and delays to a planned 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap despite a 205-for-205 exchange this week.