At least 22 people were injured in the attacks, 11 of whom were hospitalized, as fires broke out in multiple high-rise buildings across the city. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three towers — with 24, 18, and 10 floors — caught fire in the Darnytskyi district. Other fires and damage were reported across the capital, including to shops, tram depots, vehicles, and a hydroelectric plant.
Nearly a third of Kyiv was left without heat, and large sections of the city’s left bank lost power, officials said. In Kyiv Oblast, electricity was cut off to 320,000 customers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks targeted civilian infrastructure and energy facilities in Kyiv using nearly 500 drones and more than 40 ballistic missiles. The assault also struck the southern port city of Odesa, continuing a pattern of daily strikes by Russia on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast since mid-December.
Zelensky condemned the timing of the bombardment, saying it coincided with ongoing peace negotiations.
“Russian representatives engage in long discussions, but in reality, it’s the Kinzhal missiles and Shahed drones that speak for them,” he wrote on X. “They don’t want to end the war—they want to inflict more suffering.”
He called on the United States and European nations to maintain pressure on Moscow and strengthen support for Ukraine.
Poland, in response to the attacks, scrambled fighter jets and temporarily shut down airports in Rzeszów and Lublin. Zelensky arrived in Rzeszów on Saturday and is expected to travel to Miami on Sunday for peace talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. A phone call with Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled beforehand.
(jh)
Source: Polskie Radio