Russia's overnight Kyiv attack kills 16 as Poland and Romania scramble

Kyiv,UPDATED: Aug 20, 2026 17:08 IST

Russia launched a prolonged overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least 16 people and wounding about 40, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. Explosions were heard across the capital for hours before dawn, and emergency services said 15 people were killed in Kyiv and one in the wider Kyiv region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was one of the latest signs of growing pressure on the capital, as Russia has stepped up ballistic missile strikes in recent months. Ukraine has been facing a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, which it says are the only weapons it has that can bring down ballistic missiles. At the same time, neighbouring countries were put on alert as the strikes unfolded.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia's barrage included ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and fast-flying jet-powered drones, adding to the strain on air defences. Kyiv was the main target, but the air force said strikes were recorded at 28 locations across the country. Air raid warnings remained in force until after dawn.

"It was a massive attack," Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russia "had been preparing (it) for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure."

Russia's Defence Ministry gave a different account, saying the attack hit an industrial site in Kyiv that manufactures components for Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles. It also said sites involved in the production and storage of drones, an ammunition depot and a logistics centre were struck.

The exchanges came as both sides continue to hit each other with drones and missiles while their armies struggle to gain the upper hand along the 1,250-kilometre front line. Ukraine has also tried to push the war onto Russian territory through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities and other infrastructure. On Thursday morning, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 726 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The strikes on Kyiv also prompted action in neighbouring countries. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said it activated military aviation operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance as the attack unfolded. Polish and other NATO aircraft were deployed to monitor the country's airspace, according to Poland's PAP news agency.

Romania's Defence Ministry said an unidentified drone crashed and caught fire in an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine. It said two Spanish F-18 jets on an air policing mission in Romania were scrambled after 2 a.m. local time to monitor a group of "air targets" near the border. Moldova's Defence Ministry also said at least one unauthorised drone breached its airspace.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media that Russia "is increasingly testing the resolve of NATO and its partners, violating the sovereignty of neighbouring states and deliberately expanding the risks posed by its war far beyond Ukraine."

In Kyiv, officials said 12 locations were hit across the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts. Residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution were damaged. Emergency crews worked through the rubble to pull people out.

Among those affected was 60-year-old Larysa Bondaruk, who sat on the ground holding her cat, Chanel, after firefighters rescued it. In tears, she said her neighbour's grandson had been trapped under the rubble and died, and that her own flat had been badly damaged. "A rocket hit the roof. It was incredibly loud. Immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair," she said. "Two people were killed in our building, but the rescuers responded quickly and professionally. I am grateful to them for that."

In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a nine-storey residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and in a school shelter. Overall, the overnight assault left Kyiv and the surrounding region battered, put neighbouring states on alert and underscored the continued intensity of missile and drone attacks in the war.

With PTI Inputs

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