Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv in massive attack on Ukraine

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia launched a large-scale aerial strike on Ukrainian cities late on Aug. 27, attacking Kyiv with ballistic missiles and targeting regions far from the front lines.

Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine and residents of nearly every region were urged to seek shelter as Russia launched hypersonic missiles and multiple waves of drones throughout the night. At least four MiG-31 aircraft — jets armed with Kinzhal missiles — took off during the attack.

Kyiv was rocked by explosions as Russia slammed the capital with drones and ballistic missiles, damaging homes, offices, and schools throughout the city.

At least one person has been killed and five others injured, authorities reported. Information about casualties and damage is still being determined amid ongoing attacks.

Explosions were first heard in Kyiv beginning around 9:30 p.m., as Mayr Vitali Klitschko announced that air defense units were at work over the city. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said that air defenses were again activated around midnight as another group of drones approached the city.

Ukraine’s Air Force also reported that dozens of drones were flying in swarms above the country’s central and southern regions, including Zhytomyr, Odesa, and Mykolaiv oblasts. Aerial alerts were also issued for Ukraine’s far-western regions, including Ternopil, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts.

The Air Force later reported that Russia had launched ballistic missile carriers towards central Ukraine.

Another round of loud explosions was heard in Kyiv at around 3 a.m. local time, and again around 3.30, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Tkachenko announced that Russia had attacked the city with ballistic missiles.

“Tonight, Kyiv is under massive attack by the Russian terrorist state,” Tkachenko said.

At least five people have been injured in the attack, Klitschko reported. All of the victims have been hospitalized.

Klitschko said that emergency services were at work in multiple districts of the city.

In the Darnytskyi district, the attack damaged two residential buildings (one five stories, the other 16). The five-story building reportedly collapsed from the first to fifth floor. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported “significant destruction.” Rescue operations are underway.

Another home and a kindergarten in the area were damaged.

Fires also broke out at a three-story office and a 25-story building in the Dniprovskyi district. Debris crashed on the grounds of a local kindergarten, causing a fire, the mayor said. Cars in the area caught fire.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, the attack caused a fire in a residential building and damaged an office, an educational institution, and two non-residential buildings, Klitschko said. In the Solomyanskyi district, a house caught fire.

Klitschko earlier said that a Russian drone had been downed in the courtyard of a nine-story residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district of the city, but no damage was observed.

Russia has increased the frequency and intensity of aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities since the start of 2025. On July 29, Russia launched its deadliest attack against Kyiv this year, killing 31 civilians in a massive combined strike.

As the White House pushes for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, Russia continues to exert additional pressure on Kyiv through constant attacks on cities and escalating ground offensives.

While the death toll climbs, the Kremlin rejects calls for a ceasefire and condemns European efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine — insisting Russia must have a role in ensuring Ukraine’s future safety.

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