Russia has launched waves of missiles and attack drones at Kyiv, triggering powerful explosions across the Ukrainian capital in an assault that lasted
for several hours on Friday. The overnight attack came as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyyy was preparing to meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss a proposed plan to end the war. Zelenskyy said the scale of the bombardment showed Moscow was not serious about peace talks. "Russian representatives engage in lengthy talks, but in reality, Kinzhals and 'shaheds' speak for them," he wrote on social media, referring to ballistic missiles and attack drones. "This is the true attitude of Putin and his inner circle. They do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering."
Air-raid sirens sounded across Kyiv at around 01:30 local time, with authorities urging residents to take shelter.
"Explosions in the capital," Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, wrote on Telegram. "Air defence forces are operating. Stay in shelters!"
Residents reported seeing a blue-and-white flash in the sky over parts of the city, raising concerns that an energy facility may have been struck. Explosions and the sound of air-defence fire continued through the night and into the morning.
Zelenskyy said shortly before 11:00 that Russia had already launched around 40 missiles and nearly 500 drones, even as the assault was still under way. Further explosions were reported moments later. By the time the first all-clear was issued, Kyiv had been under attack for almost 10 hours. New air-raid warnings followed within an hour.
Local authorities said two people were killed — one in Kyiv and another in a nearby suburb — and at least 28 others were injured.
Officials reported fires at multiple locations, including residential high-rise buildings and a university dormitory. Thick plumes of grey smoke were seen rising over the city.
At one damaged high-rise, firefighters worked from a crane to remove unstable debris from the exposed fourth and fifth floors of the 21-storey building, part of whose outer wall had been torn away.
Despite the destruction, daily life gradually resumed in some areas, with traffic building on major roads as emergency crews continued their work.
However, Mayor Klitschko said power outages were still affecting large parts of the city, and nearly one-third of Kyiv remained without heating as temperatures stayed below freezing.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet Trump in Florida on Sunday to discuss the latest version of a 20-point draft peace plan developed with the United States. The proposal includes security guarantees sought by Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian president said Saturday's attacks underlined the urgency of those guarantees and the need for continued international support, particularly as Ukraine faces shortages in air-defence systems.
While Zelenskyy said on Friday that the plan was "90 percent ready", Trump later told Politico that the proposal would require his approval.
"So we'll see what he's got," Trump said.
Speaking to the New York Post, Trump said he believed there was a "good shot" that both sides were ready to broker a deal.
"I think they want to do it now, and I think that Russia wants to do it," he said. "But every time one wants to do it, the other doesn't."
