Russia unleashed one of its most ferocious assaults on Ukraine’s capital this week, pouring hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles onto Kyiv in a nighttime barrage that tore through residential neighborhoods and left smoldering ruins across the city.

Ukrainian officials said at least 18 people were killed and more than 90 injured, making it the deadliest attack on Kyiv since May.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Moscow fired 74 missiles and nearly 500 drones in the massive strike, which continued for hours and rattled central Kyiv.

The explosions sent thousands of residents into bomb shelters and subway tunnels as emergency sirens wailed across the skyline.

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Witnesses described a city plunged into darkness as anti-aircraft defenses struggled to keep up.

With air defense supplies dwindling, particularly vital Patriot systems, Ukraine’s interception rate of Russian ballistic missiles fell.

One Ukrainian official called the missile count “abnormally high,” underscoring the pressure on a defense system desperately in need of restocking.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, cutting short a planned diplomatic visit to Ireland, rushed back to Kyiv following the attack.

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He said more than 20 locations had sustained heavy damage, including apartment blocks, research facilities, and residential neighborhoods.

“The main strike was directed at Kyiv,” Zelenskyy told reporters.

“Air defense supplies for Ukraine are an absolute and critical priority.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning, with the capital’s population of nearly 3 million shaken by what officials described as a “city-wide terror operation.”

Footage from the blast zones showed entire apartment buildings gutted, cars burned out, and emergency responders pulling survivors from rubble.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, told Fox News Digital that the assault marked “the most horrific night for Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”

He described speaking with family members who said the night felt like “a biblical Apocalypse unfolding before their eyes.”

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Melnyk sharply criticized the United Nations for continuing to treat Russia as a legitimate Security Council member. “It is time to end this parallel reality,” he said.

“Russia should be treated for what it has become, a pariah state.”

Video and images from East2West News captured the intensity of the barrage, including scenes of families huddling underground as bright flashes illuminated the sky.

One video showed a baby sleeping beside an open window as explosions erupted outside. Another clip revealed the burnt-out remains of Kyiv’s National Institute of Biochemistry, which suffered heavy fire damage.

The European Union’s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, said Russia “unleashed hell on Kyiv” and confirmed that a building housing diplomats was also hit.

Though no diplomatic personnel were injured, the fire destroyed large portions of the facility.

Russia’s Defense Ministry bragged about the strikes on its Telegram channel, claiming the “massive attack” used long-range precision weapons targeting military and energy facilities.

Moscow justified the bombardment as “retaliation” for Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory, including a strike that reportedly hit an oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Ukrainian forces said the refinery attack killed one worker but was aimed at disrupting Moscow’s fuel infrastructure.

The Kremlin confirmed that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the operation and that Russia intended to continue “increasing pressure on Ukraine to achieve its war aims.”

The statement reflected Moscow’s hardline stance as the conflict nears its one-thousandth day, with no sign of compromise.

Neighboring NATO nations responded swiftly.

Poland scrambled fighter jets as a precaution, while Finland issued a brief airspace restriction along the eastern Gulf of Finland.

Romania also activated air policing missions after detecting Russian drones operating close to its border.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said British Eurofighter Typhoon jets under NATO command were deployed from an air base in Romania to monitor the situation.

European leaders quickly condemned the attack.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she would push for expanded sanctions targeting businesses and entities supporting Russia’s defense industry.

“The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed,” she said on X.

Despite Moscow’s public denial of intentionally targeting civilians, Russian missiles and drones have repeatedly struck homes, hospitals, schools, and shopping centers throughout the war.

Western intelligence and independent human rights monitors have documented large-scale attacks on non-military targets since the invasion began in early 2022, leaving thousands of Ukrainian civilians dead.

The scale of the latest assault suggests that Moscow remains intent on inflicting maximum psychological and physical damage, regardless of international outrage.

Kyiv officials say the message is clear: as Western weapon supplies slow, Russia is testing the limits of Ukraine’s defenses and the resolve of its allies.

While Europe and the United Nations continue to debate sanctions and resolutions, the people of Kyiv are left to dig through the ashes yet again.

The sight of smoldering buildings and civilians carrying what little remains of their lives has become an all-too-familiar scene in a war that Russia still insists is “justified.”

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