'One if not the largest strikes by Russia on Kyiv since war began'. #Ukraine #Russia #BBCNews

A BBC correspondent reporting live from Kyiv described an overnight aerial assault that ranks as one of, if not the largest, Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the war began. The assault involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles launched simultaneously, creating a multi-hour barrage over the city. The sounds of anti-aircraft fire and drone activity were audible during the report, underscoring the scale and intensity of the attack.

While Ukrainian air defenses managed to shoot down the majority of the incoming projectiles, a significant number reached their targets on the ground. Affected sites included a metro station that had been repurposed as a civilian bomb shelter, a shopping center, an old factory, and a residential apartment block located approximately 100 meters from the reporter's position. Casualties were confirmed, though the exact number had not yet been determined at the time of the report.

The Kremlin framed the assault as a retaliatory response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian-occupied territory, with President Putin claiming civilians had been killed in that attack. Ukraine, however, maintains that it only targets military infrastructure. The correspondent pushed back on the justification narrative, noting that Russia had conducted a separate large-scale attack on Ukraine just ten days prior, killing 24 civilians. The reporter concluded that this level of bombardment represents 'business as usual' for Russia and is a clear indicator that President Putin has no intention of ending the war.