A massive Russian missile and drone attack struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv overnight, killing at least six people and wounding 19 more. The strikes, which began shortly after 1 a.m. on June 23, caused widespread destruction across the city and surrounding oblast, leaving several buildings in ruins and emergency services scrambling to rescue survivors.

One of the deadliest impacts occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where a section of a five-story residential building was reduced to rubble. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko initially confirmed four deaths in the neighborhood, later updated to five by Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko in a morning statement. Klitschko said that 19 people had been injured in total, eight of whom were hospitalized in city medical facilities. The mayor noted that emergency crews and medical responders remained on site, with rescue operations and recovery efforts still underway.

The destruction in Shevchenkivskyi was among the most severe, but it wasn’t isolated. Russian projectiles struck several other districts, including Podilskyi, Holosiivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi, and Darnytskyi. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, all relevant services have been deployed and are working to address the aftermath, though the full extent of the damage remains uncertain. Information is still being verified.

Kyiv Independent reporters on the ground said explosions were heard for several hours. Initial blasts came from what appeared to be kamikaze drones around 1 a.m., followed by the louder detonation of ballistic missiles an hour later. The bombardment is believed to have lasted approximately three and a half hours.

In addition to Kyiv, strikes hit other areas of Kyiv Oblast. In Bila Tserkva, a woman was reported killed and eight others wounded. Injuries were also recorded in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, though exact casualty numbers have not been confirmed. Authorities also noted that three individuals were injured in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district. Of the 19 injured overall, at least two are known to have been hospitalized, while the condition of the others remains unclear.

The attacks damaged not only residential buildings but also civilian infrastructure. In the Sviatoshynskyi district, part of a metro station exit and a nearby bus shelter were struck. Fires broke out in Podilskyi, after debris hit both a building and a vehicle. A major blaze erupted in Solomianskyi district, where a four-story office building was set alight, burning across an area of 800 square meters before firefighters could contain it.

In another incident, drone wreckage landed in an open stadium area in Sviatoshynskyi district. Thankfully, that particular strike caused no injuries or fires.

This latest attack comes just days after Russia carried out one of its deadliest assaults on Kyiv, which left 28 dead and 134 injured. The renewed bombardment follows a warning by Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who stated on June 21 that Russian forces were attempting to push along nearly the entire front line in eastern Ukraine and establish a buffer zone near Sumy Oblast in the northeast.

With search operations ongoing and casualties still being confirmed, Kyiv remains on high alert. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that more people could be trapped under the rubble, particularly in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where emergency crews continue to work around the clock.

Sources:

• Ukrainska Pravda
• The Kyiv Independent
• RBC-Ukraine