At least seven people have been killed and 14 injured in Kyiv following a combined overnight and early-morning attack by Russian forces on 25 November, according to the city authorities.
Rescue services warn that the number of casualties may rise as searches continue in several damaged residential buildings where people may still be trapped under the rubble.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the latest fatality in the capital was confirmed in the Dniprovskyi district when rescuers recovered the body of a man from beneath collapsed structures. “The number of dead has increased to seven people. In the Dniprovskyi district, the body of a deceased man was recovered from the rubble,” he said. Earlier, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) had reported six people killed in the city while damage assessments were still under way.
The strikes on Kyiv formed part of a wider, massed attack on Ukraine. During the night, Russian forces launched sea-launched cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and a large number of attack drones against multiple targets. Air raid sirens sounded in the capital shortly before 01:00 local time, followed by a series of powerful explosions. Ukraine’s Air Force had earlier warned of ballistic missile launches from Russian territory towards Kyiv, along with a simultaneous wave of unmanned aerial vehicles. A further series of blasts was reported in the city after 07:00, indicating renewed missile launches.
Within Kyiv, one of the heaviest-hit areas was the Sviatoshynskyi district. A strike near a four-storey warehouse building caused extensive structural damage and a fire. Emergency officials reported that four people were found dead at the site and three others were injured. Firefighters brought the blaze under control, and DSNS personnel continued to inspect the damaged premises and the surrounding area.
In the Dniprovskyi district, a nine-storey residential building was struck. Initial reports spoke of two people killed and five injured, with 17 residents rescued, including three children. The impact sparked fires between the fifth and eighth floors, which have since been extinguished. The later discovery of a further victim in the debris brought the confirmed death toll in this district to three. Work is continuing to dismantle damaged sections of the building and to search for any other possible casualties.
Further damage was recorded in the Pecherskyi district, where a 22-storey apartment block was hit. The strike destroyed parts of the building between the fourth and eighth floors and started a fire that has now been put out. Rescuers evacuated residents, including one person with limited mobility, and are continuing to clear debris both inside the building and in an adjacent garage complex. Officials have urged residents to keep away from the site while cranes and heavy equipment are in operation.
In the Darnytskyi district, the authorities reported a strike on a non-residential building. Firefighters and medics were dispatched to assess the consequences of the impact and to check whether anyone was inside at the time. Separately, emergency services remain engaged in extinguishing a fire in a garage cooperative, also linked to the overnight attack. DSNS officials said 18 people had been rescued in total across the various locations affected in the capital.
Conflicting early figures were issued on the number of injured in Kyiv. DSNS initially put the figure at 13, including one child, while the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, reported that, as of 10:00, 14 people were known to have been wounded. Among them is a seven-year-old boy. City officials said eight of the injured had been taken to hospital for treatment, while the others received medical assistance on site or on an outpatient basis.
The wider Kyiv region also came under heavy fire. In the Bila Tserkva community of Kyiv Oblast, local authorities reported that two people were killed and eight injured as a result of the combined missile and drone attack. Among the wounded was a 14-year-old girl, who sustained a back injury, cuts and multiple abrasions. According to DSNS, Russian strikes hit Brovary, Bila Tserkva and Vyshhorod districts during the night. In Bila Tserkva, four private houses were completely destroyed and a four-storey residential building was damaged. Rescuers evacuated 46 people from the block and its basement, which residents had been using as a shelter.
Regional officials later confirmed additional injuries in Brovary district, where three people were hurt. A 63-year-old woman with a hand injury and a 69-year-old woman with cuts to the shoulder, lower leg and abdomen were taken to hospital, as was a man born in 1989 who suffered shrapnel wounds to the face. Authorities reported damage to multi-storey residential buildings, private houses and vehicles in Bila Tserkva district, as well as fires at warehouse and industrial facilities and damage to 25 private homes and cars in Brovary district. In Obukhiv district, two private houses were damaged, while in Vyshhorod district private houses, outbuildings and a vehicle were affected. Regional authorities did not immediately confirm fatalities in the oblast, and the overall toll there was still being clarified.
The overnight barrage also had cross-border implications. Moldova’s Ministry of Defence reported that its military surveillance systems detected six drones in the country’s airspace during the Russian attack on Ukraine. One drone was tracked in the area of Vinogradovca and Vulcănești before heading towards the Romanian border at an altitude of around 1,500 metres. Five more drones were later observed over Dondușeni, Orhei, Bender, Vadul lui Vodă and Florești, and one of them crashed onto the roof of a house in the village of Nižnie Kukurești. The ministry urged citizens to report any unidentified objects and not to touch debris, but to inform the authorities immediately.
Moldova’s Border Police separately confirmed that a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle violated the country’s airspace during the same attack before crossing into Romania. According to their statement, the drone was recorded in the south of Moldova, moving along the Vinogradovca–Vulcănești axis, then towards the border in the area of Colibași and Vadul-lui-Isac, where it entered Romanian territory. The Romanian side was immediately notified. Moldovan authorities said they were inspecting the territory along the drone’s route for any potentially dangerous objects. Romania also confirmed a violation of its airspace and scrambled fighter jets in response. During a previous Russian attack on the night of 19 November, a drone had already entered the airspace of both Moldova and Romania, after which Chişinău summoned the Russian ambassador.
The strikes also affected critical infrastructure and daily life in Kyiv. Klitschko reported temporary disruptions to electricity and water supplies in several districts of the capital. In the Dniprovskyi district, traffic has been suspended in both directions on Entuziastiv Street to allow emergency and utility services to operate safely near the damaged buildings. Bus route 48 has been diverted along Rusanivska Embankment, Rusanivskyi Boulevard and Ihor Shamo Boulevard before rejoining its usual course.
The 25 November assault follows repeated Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian officials say that Russia increasingly uses combinations of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in order to complicate air defence operations and increase pressure on cities and infrastructure. In response, the authorities again urged residents to monitor air raid warnings closely, to seek shelter immediately during alerts, and to avoid returning to damaged buildings until rescue and inspection work has been completed. As searches continue at several sites, officials acknowledge that the casualty figures may yet change.
