Russia pounds Kyiv and cities across Ukraine in massive air attack

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Russia pummeled the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and ​several other regions in a massive aerial attack involving drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least one person and wounding dozens, local officials said Thursday. 

Issued on: 14/05/2026 - 08:01Modified: 14/05/2026 - 08:10

2 min Reading time Share By: FRANCE 24

Large-scale Russian strikes on Kyiv killed one person and wounded at least 31 others, city authorities said on Thursday, as Moscow ramped up attacks on Ukraine following a short-lived ceasefire.

The Ukrainian capital came under heavy aerial attack early Thursday, with AFP journalists hearing loud explosions and observing the use of air defence systems.

"The enemy is striking Kyiv with UAVs and ballistic missiles," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram, adding the capital was "under heavy enemy attack".

Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said one person was killed and 16 others were wounded in the barrage on the city.

Ukraine's state emergency service later reported 31 people, including a child, had been wounded in strikes across the Kyiv region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at the country.

"Overnight, the Russians launched more than 670 attack drones and 56 missiles against Ukraine," Zelensky wrote in a post on social media.

"These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end. It is important that partners do not remain silent about this strike," he added.

Military authorities said the strikes hit six districts of the capital and six more in the surrounding region.

At daybreak, rescue workers were seen searching for survivors in the rubble of destroyed buildings in Kyiv. In one instance, rescuers were photographed carrying an injured person from a partially collapsed residential building.

Ukraine's emergency service said those search and rescue operations were ongoing.

Strikes from both Moscow and Kyiv resumed after Russia ended a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine on Tuesday.

Read moreRussia unleashes deadly daylight drone blitz across Ukraine

US President Donald Trump had announced the pause last week, hours before Russian leader Vladimir Putin presided over a scaled-down military parade in Red Square to mark the anniversary of victory in World War II.

Zelensky has urged Trump to discuss ending the conflict during his meetings this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities for more than four years, but it usually launches large-scale drone and missile attacks at night.

On Wednesday, a barrage of "at least 800 Russian drones" targeting mainly western Ukraine killed six people and wounded dozens of others, Zelensky said.

Kyiv mayor Klitschko said Thursday the attacks on the capital damaged at least one residential building and caused a vehicle to catch fire in a car park.

He said rocket debris also fell on "a non-residential building".

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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