A huge wave of Russian drone and missile attacks struck Ukraine overnight into Sunday, September 28, 2025, leaving at least four people dead in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, and injuring dozens more across the country. The strikes, which Ukrainian authorities said lasted for 12 hours, unleashed devastation on residential buildings, medical facilities, and even a kindergarten.
Images from Kyiv showed towering plumes of smoke and flames as emergency workers battled fires and rescued residents from collapsed structures. Ukraine’s emergency services warned that the death toll could rise as more victims may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the assault, describing it as “terror” designed to prolong the war and fuel profits from Russia’s energy sales. He called on Ukraine’s Western allies to impose even tougher sanctions and pledged that Ukraine would target Moscow’s financial capacity to continue funding the invasion.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russia deployed 643 weapons in the assault, including drones, missiles, and glide bombs, hitting regions such as Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Cherkasy, and Mykolaiv. Alongside civilian areas, a cardiology centre was also damaged.
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, accused Russia of waging a deliberate “war against civilians” and urged stronger international economic pressure on Moscow.
The strikes rattled neighbouring Poland, which scrambled fighter jets and placed its air defence systems on high alert after detecting possible airspace violations. NATO has accused Russia of repeatedly breaching alliance territory in recent weeks with drones and jets, actions it views as attempts to test its readiness. Moscow has denied these accusations, insisting it has no plans to attack NATO members.
At the United Nations General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any attack on Russian airspace would trigger a “decisive response,” further heightening tensions with the West.
Zelensky also revealed that Ukraine had received a U.S.-made Patriot air defence system from Israel, with two more expected soon, underscoring Kyiv’s push to strengthen its defences. Israel, once neutral, has cooled relations with Moscow as Russia has aligned more closely with Iran while opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.
In the coming weeks, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled to hold talks on military support, following Kyiv’s submission of a request to purchase weapons worth $90 billion.
Meanwhile, both Kyiv and Moscow confirmed that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces, had been disconnected from the power grid for four days, raising fresh fears of a possible nuclear incident in Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
