Russia Pounds Ukraine with 74 Missiles, 500 Drones, Death Toll Rises to 21

Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, firing 74 missiles and nearly 500 drones in an overnight attack that lasted about 11 hours , leaving at least 21 people dead and more than 80 injured , according to Ukrainian authorities. Rescue teams continued searching through the rubble as the casualty toll rose.

The barrage struck more than 30 locations across Kyiv, damaging residential apartment blocks, schools, medical facilities, an ambulance station, a hotel and commercial buildings. A multi-storey apartment building partially collapsed after being hit, trapping residents beneath the debris.

Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted many of the incoming drones and missiles, but several ballistic missiles breached air defences and hit their targets. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed calls for additional Patriot air defence systems and interceptor missiles from Western allies, saying stronger defences could save civilian lives.

Russia's Defence Ministry said the strikes targeted Ukraine's military-industrial facilities, military airfields and energy infrastructure , describing the operation as retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory. Moscow maintained that the assault was aimed at military objectives and did not acknowledge deliberately targeting civilians.

The attack came as Ukraine intensified its campaign against Russia's energy sector, with reports of drone strikes on an oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region and railway infrastructure supporting Russian military logistics. Kyiv says such facilities are legitimate military targets because they sustain Russia's war effort.

The latest exchange underscores the escalating conflict, with Ukraine expanding long-range strikes inside Russia while Moscow responds with increasingly large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.