Russian drones swarm Kyiv from all sides in apparent shift of tactics

Hundreds of Russian drones flying from all directions attacked Kyiv overnight into Thursday in an apparent new Russian tactic, marking a second consecutive night of ferocious attacks on Ukraine.

At least two people were killed, including a 22-year-old police officer who was named by authorities as Maria Dziumaha, and more than a dozen were wounded in the attacks, according to authorities.

Russia has been intensifying its aerial attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, but the assault on Thursday appeared to mark a change in approach from Moscow.

Russia launched 400 drones and 18 missiles, including eight ballistic and six cruise missiles, according to a telegram post from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

They were flying at different altitudes, and attacking from all directions — with some of the drones initially bypassing the capital before abruptly changing direction and speeding back towards the city.

This made guarding the capital’s skies even more challenging for the strained Ukrainian air defences. Yet the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down or disabled 382 of the 415 aerial weapons Russia launched at the country overnight, including all of the ballistic and cruise missiles. That is a stunning success given the scale of the attack, especially given Ukraine’s limited access to air defense systems.

Many Kyiv residents spent another sleepless night in shelters, listening to the terrifying sounds of explosions and drones flying overhead.

“Everything in it was completely destroyed, and (my sister) escaped in her underwear. She managed to escape, but her husband didn’t make it; he was crushed by a slab. The ambulance took him away,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“We don’t know where to turn: I don’t know who can help us. Everything there is burned down; there is nothing left of that apartment.”

As terrifying as the night was for Kyiv’s residents, these massive aerial attacks have become the new normal for Ukrainian civilians.

Just on Wednesday, Russia conducted its largest drone assault since the start of its full-scale invasion, launching 728 drones and 13 missiles in strikes that killed at least one person, according to Ukrainian officials.

“This is an obvious build-up of terror by Russia,” Zelensky said on Thursday, adding that he would be talking to allies about more funding for interceptor drone and air defenses.

Residents stand outside of their damaged house in Kyiv, following a Russian strike on Thursday.

Police officers examine debris on a street in Kyiv.

The damage from the latest offensive attacks appeared to be substantial.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it was targetting “Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises in Kyiv and military airfield infrastructure.”

But houses and residential buildings, cars, warehouse facilities, offices and other buildings across the city were damaged and caught fire, according to city authorities.

A health care clinic was almost completely destroyed in the strikes, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Tetyana, a 68-year old Kyiv resident who asked for her last name not to be published because of fears for her security, said the windows in her apartment were smashed by the pressure wave from a nearby explosion.

Peace talks going nowhere

As Russia ramped up its aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities, efforts to reach a ceasefire have largely stalled.

US President Donald Trump has become increasingly frustrated with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

“We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Russia’s sustained assault in recent days has injected new urgency into questions surrounding Washington’s commitment to defending Ukraine, as the Trump administration pledged to send additional defensive weaponry to Kyiv in an apparent policy reversion.

A fire burns at a residential building in Kyiv.

People sleep on the platform of a metro station in Kyiv, as they take cover during a Russian attack on Thursday.

Moscow downplayed Trump’s harsh words in a press briefing Wednesday. A Kremlin spokesperson said it is reacting “calmly” to Trump’s criticism of Putin. “Trump in general tends to use a fairly tough style and expressions,” Dmitry Peskov said, adding Moscow hopes to continue dialogue with Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on Thursday.

Following Wednesday’s record drone attack, Zelensky said there had been “so many attempts to achieve peace and cease fire, but Russia rejects everything.”

Thursday’s attack on Kyiv follows a landmark ruling by Europe’s top human rights court Wednesday, which found that Russia committed major international law violations in Ukraine.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on four cases concerning Russian military operations in Ukraine since 2022, as well as the conflict in eastern Ukraine which began in 2014 and includes the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

It found that Russia had committed a pattern of human rights violations in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The ECHR also ruled Russia was responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in 2014. Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for MH17’s destruction, which killed 298 people.