Seventeen people, including a 62-year-old American citizen, were killed and 114 others injured during a devastating Russian aerial attack on Kyiv overnight from June 16 to 17, city officials confirmed Monday morning. The assault marks the most extensive single air operation against the Ukrainian capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that 68 of the 114 wounded were hospitalized with varying degrees of trauma, including head injuries, burns, and limb fractures. “Another tragedy in our capital. A deliberate, systematic terror campaign against civilians,” Klitschko stated in a message on Telegram. The American victim died in the Solomianskyi district during the attack, reportedly while receiving medical aid near a residential complex hit by missile fragments.
The Ukrainian Air Force labeled the assault “the largest air attack since the beginning of the war,” citing that Russia deployed a staggering 472 aerial threats. These included 440 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), roughly 280 of them Iranian-made Shahed drones launched from multiple Russian bases including Kursk, Bryansk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. In addition, Russia fired two Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, 16 Kh-101 cruise missiles from strategic bombers over Saratov, four Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea, nine X-59/69 guided air-to-surface missiles, and one Kh-31P anti-radar missile.
Ukraine’s integrated air and electronic defenses were able to neutralize or suppress 428 of the inbound threats: 239 drones were shot down and 163 were disabled by electronic warfare. Fifteen of the 16 Kh-101 missiles were intercepted, both Kinzhals were reportedly neutralized, and the majority of the other missiles were also blocked before reaching their intended targets.
Despite the scale of interception, at least ten impact zones were confirmed across the city. The worst destruction was reported in the Solomianskyi and Darnytskyi districts, where a nine-story apartment building was completely devastated by a direct missile hit. “A whole stairwell, from the roof to the basement, is gone,” said Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko during a briefing on site. “People were asleep when the building collapsed around them.”
A second residential building in the Solomianskyi area was also seriously damaged. Mayor Klitschko shared images showing entire walls sheared off and windows blown out. Rescue operations continued throughout the day, with local authorities setting up emergency support centers for displaced residents.
In Darnytskyi, emergency responders confirmed the deaths of three more individuals found in the rubble. However, it remains unclear whether these fatalities were included in the previously reported 17 total deaths.
Power outages were also reported across several districts due to automatic shutdowns triggered by blast waves. Kyiv’s Aviation Institute dormitory was damaged by falling drone fragments. The building was swiftly evacuated, and temporary shelter was arranged for the students, according to acting university rector Kseniia Semenova.
The Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported that grain-carrying cargo trains were hit. “The enemy continues to destroy everything Ukrainian — including food exports,” wrote board chairman Oleksandr Pertsovskyi on Facebook. He added that operations would resume quickly and rail schedules would not be affected.
In a statement released by the President’s Office, chief of staff Andriy Yermak said: “This is not war. This is murder — calculated and deliberate. Carried out with weapons from Iran and North Korea, using components built with Western technology. The world must respond not just with words but with consequences.”
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the same urgency, saying: “Putin planned this strike to coincide with the G7 summit in Canada. It’s a message — a challenge to the United States and its allies. It’s time for action.”
