Russia Pounds Kyiv with Largest Aerial Attack Since Ukraine War Began

Russia has bombarded Kyiv with the largest aerial attack since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Overnight on Thursday, Moscow launched 539 drone and 11 missile strikes that struck nearly every district of the Ukrainian capital, injuring at least 23 people. Air raid sirens rung out continuously for eight hours, coming to an end at around 5 a.m. local time. “It was a brutal, sleepless night,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X. Some 478 Russian airstrike “devices” were damaged or shot down during the attack, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force released on Telegram. A Ukrainian drone on Friday targeted a power substation near Moscow. Two people were injured in the attack, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov. The Russian strikes came hours after President Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night. “I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there… I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad,” the President told reporters early Friday. The U.S. President is scheduled to hold a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today. Zelensky added in his Friday post on X that the regions of Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv were also targeted in the overnight attacks. “All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behavior,” he said. Russia has in recent weeks stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities. Less than a week ago, it launched another record aerial assault on Ukraine. Zelensky’s push for increased Western pressure on Russia was reiterated by his top aide, Andriy Yermak, who said that Putin’s goal is to “keep killing Ukrainians for as long as he’s allowed to.” Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has also slammed the overnight Russian attacks, writing on X that Putin is “mocking” Trump with the continued offensive amid U.S.-led cease-fire efforts. “Please restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor,” Sikorski said. Earlier this week, the Trump Administration said it would pause shipments of some military aid to Ukraine, including air defense missiles and precision-guided artillery. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the pause was needed to evaluate the state of U.S. stockpiles.