Daijiworld Media Network - Kyiv

Kyiv, Jan 9: Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine using drones and missiles, killing three people and injuring at least 16 in the capital Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday.

Several districts of Kyiv were hit in the attack, Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. In the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-storey residential building, while at another location in the same area, the first two floors of a housing block sustained heavy damage.

In the Dnipro district, debris from a downed drone struck a multi-storey building, triggering a fire. The strikes disrupted electricity and water supply in parts of the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, as emergency services worked through the night to restore essential services.

Russia also targeted critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv with an unidentified ballistic missile, Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said. Ukraine’s Air Force Western Command later stated that the missile travelled at a speed of nearly 13,000 kilometres per hour, adding that investigations were underway to determine the exact type of weapon used.

The latest attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of Russia’s plans for a large-scale offensive. He said Moscow was attempting to exploit the freezing winter conditions, with icy roads and streets increasing risks for both civilians and emergency responders.

Ukraine’s air defence systems were activated across multiple regions as authorities urged residents to remain in shelters amid continuing threats of further strikes.