Ukraine, Kyiv– A massive Russian drone and missile attack struck Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on September 7, 2025, killing at least three people, wounding 18, and setting dozens of buildings on fire, including the government’s headquarters.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the attack sparked fires at several high-rise apartment buildings in the city’s west and east. The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine overnight.
The attack caused widespread destruction, with drone debris causing fires atop several buildings, including a 16-story and two nine-story buildings in the Sviatoshynskyi district.
A four-story apartment building in the Darnytskyi district caught fire from drone debris, and rescuers dug out the body of a 1-year-old child from the rubble. An elderly woman also died in a shelter in the Darnytskyi district, although the cause of her death was not immediately clear.
The Ukrainian government’s headquarters suffered significant damage, with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stating, “For the first time, the government building was damaged by an enemy attack, including the roof and upper floors.”
Power outages were also reported in the city. Svyrydenko called for international action, saying, “the world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but with actions. There is a need to strengthen sanctions pressure – primarily against Russian oil and gas.”
The attack on Kyiv was part of a broader wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine. Other cities, including Kryvyi Rih, Kremenchuk, and Odesa, were also targeted, resulting in damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings.
In Kryvyi Rih, transport and urban infrastructure were hit, while in Odesa, fires broke out in several apartment blocks. A Russian drone attack on Saturday evening in Zaporizhzhia wounded at least 15 people, four of whom were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s drone forces claimed to have inflicted “comprehensive fire damage” on the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia’s Bryansk region, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Moscow has not commented on the Ukrainian claim. The Russian air defense units reported that they destroyed at least 69 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The international community has strongly condemned the Russian attack on Kyiv. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded that Russia join peace negotiations, warning of forthcoming “hard, biting sanctions”.
She also stated that “Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace”.
The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, summoned the Russian envoy in response to the strike, emphasizing that “no diplomatic mission should ever be a target”.
The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties, with at least 21 people killed, including four children aged between two and 17. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city military administration, described the attack as “massive” and stated that everything was destroyed.
Oleksandr Khilko, who arrived at the scene of one of the strikes, pulled out three survivors from the rubble and condemned the attack, saying, “it’s inhuman, striking civilians”. The attack also damaged the European Union delegation’s building in Kyiv and the British Council offices.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his condolences to the loved ones of the victims and called for greater pressure from the international community on Russia.
He emphasized that Russia understands only strength and pressure, stating, “for every strike, Moscow must feel the consequences”. Zelenskyy also reiterated his demands for harsher US sanctions to cripple the Russian economy if Putin does not demonstrate seriousness about ending the war.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down over 100 Ukrainian drones overnight, targeting at least seven regions of the country.
However, Ukraine’s drone forces reported hitting two Russian oil refineries, the Afipsky refinery in the Krasnodar region and the Kuybyshev refinery in the Samara region. Footage showed a fire burning at the refinery in Samara.
