KYIV — Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles and drones early on Saturday, wounding at least 19 people, Ukrainian officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for a meeting with US President Donald Trump on Sunday aimed at advancing talks on ending the war.
Explosions were heard across the capital for hours as air defences engaged incoming targets and strikes were reported in several districts. The attack began in the early morning and was still continuing as day broke, according to local authorities.
Kyiv’s City Military Administration said impacts were recorded at multiple locations across the city, with residential buildings among the sites affected. Fires broke out in several areas and emergency crews were deployed to contain the blazes and assist residents.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said later in the morning that the number of wounded had risen to 19. He said 11 people had been taken to hospital. The mayor also reported a further drone strike on a high-rise residential building in the Darnytskyi district, hitting around the level of the seventh floor.
Earlier accounts from city officials said a 24-storey residential building in Darnytskyi had been struck. In the same district, an 18-storey building and a 10-storey building were reported to have caught fire during the attack. Emergency services images circulated locally showed smoke damage and firefighters operating at the scene.
In other parts of Kyiv, officials reported additional fires and damage linked to strikes or falling debris. Local administrators named Obolonskyi and Holosiivsky as among the districts where incidents were recorded. The city’s authorities did not immediately provide a detailed breakdown of injuries by location, but said two children were among those hurt in the early reports.
The strikes also affected electricity supply. Ukrenergo, the state energy company, introduced emergency power outages, citing the impact of the attacks. The utility did not immediately provide detail on the scale of disruption in Kyiv, but emergency outages typically involve managed cuts to stabilise the system after damage or sudden strain.
In the wider Kyiv region, Ukraine’s emergency service said industrial and residential buildings were hit. In the Vyshhorod area north of the capital, rescuers pulled one person from beneath the rubble of a destroyed house, according to the State Emergency Service.
The overnight assault came a day before Zelenskyy’s planned meeting with Trump in Florida. Zelenskyy has said the talks are expected to cover the next phase of diplomatic efforts, including security guarantees and territorial questions connected to the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukraine has repeatedly argued that any move towards a ceasefire would require reliable security arrangements to deter renewed attacks. Russia has maintained its own conditions for an end to the fighting. The war, launched by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, is approaching its fifth year.
Kyiv has faced repeated waves of long-range strikes involving drones and missiles, with residential areas, industrial sites and energy facilities all affected at different points. Ukrainian officials say air defence systems reduce the scale of damage but cannot prevent all impacts, particularly during complex attacks combining different weapons and flight profiles.
Saturday’s attack added urgency to the debate over air defence resupply and infrastructure protection as winter conditions increase demand on the power grid. Ukraine’s energy system has been targeted in previous campaigns, and power outages have become more common after large strikes.
For residents of Kyiv, the immediate consequences were measured in damaged homes, emergency call-outs, and uncertainty over electricity supply. By late morning, firefighters and municipal crews were still responding to incidents across the city, while officials updated casualty figures and assessed the extent of damage.
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump is expected to be closely watched in European capitals and in Moscow, given the potential implications for military support, negotiating positions and any future security framework. Ukrainian officials have said they seek an outcome that protects sovereignty and addresses the status of occupied territories, while also ensuring a halt to attacks on cities and critical infrastructure.
As Kyiv repaired damage and treated the wounded, Ukraine’s leadership signalled that the diplomacy planned for Sunday would proceed against the backdrop of continuing strikes and a war that remains active on multiple fronts.
