Ukrainian homes burn as Russian missiles hit Kyiv — at least 1 killed, 7 injured in mass attack

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new information emerges.

Russia launched a large-scale attack against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Nov. 25, targeting critical infrastructure and residential neighborhoods with Shahed drones and Kinzhal ballistic missiles.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry described Russia’s overnight assault as “a massive combined attack…on energy infrastructure facilities.”

At least one person in Kyiv has been killed and seven others injured, according to Kyiv City Military Administration Head Tymur Tkachenko. The full extent of the casualties and damage is still being investigated.

Loud explosions were initially reported at approximately 1:00 a.m. local time and then repeatedly throughout the next hour, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Authorities warned of a ballistic missile threat in Kyiv and said that air defenses were operating in the city.

In the Pecherskyi district, several multistory residential buildings were damaged and caught fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Earlier, Kyiv Independent journalists reported drone activity in the neighborhood.

One of the targets was a 22-story apartment building, which sustained damage to multiple floors.

A 9-story residential building in the Dniprovskyi district also caught fire, leading to injuries and emergency rescue operations. Another two-story building in the district was hit, but did not catch fire.

Ukraine’s Air Force also announced a missile threat across the entire country after MiG-31 bombers were recorded taking off from Russian airfields.

Missile and drone activity were also reported in other regions, including Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv oblasts.

Russia regularly launches mass attacks on Ukrainian cities. In recent months, Moscow has intensified its attacks on energy infrastructure in an attempt to plunge Ukraine into another harsh winter.

The relentless campaign against Ukraine’s critical facilities and heating systems has been linked to the current U.S. push for Kyiv to accept a peace plan that largely favors Russia.

“It’s a cold winter and a lot of the big energy-producing plants have been under attack, to put it mildly, to put it nicely,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 21.

President Volodymyr Zelensky also warned the Ukrainian people to expect continued attacks amid the ongoing peace negotiations — and urged international partners to take note of Russia’s disregard for diplomacy.

“We must also be aware that Russia will not ease the pressure on us, on Ukraine, on our people,” Zelensky said hours before Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv.

“These days, these weeks, we must be very attentive to air raid alerts and all similar threats of attack. We understand exactly who we are dealing with … And it would be fair for all our partners — and above all for the American side — to take into account the threat that … if we are really ending the war, then there should be no missiles, no massive strikes on Ukraine, on our people.”