Russian strikes killed one person and wounded at least seven others in Ukraine, authorities said this morning, while Moscow officials reported downing more than 100 drones heading towards the capital.
Russia has increasingly been using long-range missiles in its war against Ukraine, while Kyiv has responded with drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, including repeated attempts to target the capital.
A woman was killed and six people wounded in a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on Kryvyi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the regional governor.
The city was under a “combined ballistic missile and drone attack”, local defence council head Oleksandr Vilkul said earlier on Telegram, warning residents that further waves could follow.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko
Russian forces struck two industrial sites in the city, prompting rescue and firefighting operations, Mr Vilkul said.
In Kyiv, authorities issued an air raid alert shortly before 2:00 am local time, warning of a ballistic missile threat.
AFP journalists in the capital heard several explosions shortly after.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Kyiv was “under ballistic missile attack” and urged residents to remain in shelters.
The strikes wounded one person and sparked fires at non-residential sites in the Obolonsky and Holosiivskyi districts of the capital.
Kremenchuk in the central Poltava region also came under attack, local officials said, without providing details of damage or casualties.
Near-daily missile and drone strike
On the Russian side, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported a sustained overnight drone assault on the capital, issuing a string of updates over several hours.
Air defences intercepted more than 130 drones headed towards the Russian capital, according to his statements on the state-backed MAX platform.
Emergency services were deployed to sites where debris fell, Mr Sobyanin said, adding that three people were wounded.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted military, industrial and logistical facilities deep inside Russia, arguing its strikes are a response to Moscow’s ongoing bombardment of Ukrainian towns and infrastructure.
Russia has maintained near-daily missile and drone strikes across Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in early 2022, with areas far from the front lines frequently coming under attack.
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These fresh strikes come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin he was “proud” of their countries’ strong ties, state media reported this morning, after providing military support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea has become a key ally of the Kremlin, sending troops to support Moscow’s war effort in return for economic benefits and military technology, analysts say.
“I am always proud to be able to expect more excellent future of the bilateral relations by leading, together with you, the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]-Russia ties that has carried forward the history of common struggle,” Mr Kim said in his letter to Mr Putin, according to an English-language dispatch by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim Jong Un met with Vladimir Putin in Beijing in September 2025
Mr Kim added that he had a “firm belief” that Russia would thrive and defend its “territorial integrity” under Putin’s “wise leadership”.
In a letter to Mr Kim delivered on Friday to mark Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II, Mr Putin said relations between the two countries had reached the “unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership”.
“Our states are actively cooperating in all the sectors while making concerted efforts to ensure the regional security and stability,” the Russian leader said.
The exchange of letters follows Ukraine’s accusation this month that Moscow had launched North Korean ballistic missiles in a strike that killed at least nine people and wounded dozens.