Massive Overnight Russian Strike On Kiev Used Ballistic Missiles, Over 120 Drones

Russia has confirmed its forces launched major overnight missile strikes on Ukrainian military plants as well as energy infrastructure. Kiev suffered significant damage, resulting in casualties and several fires in the city.

A Wednesday statement by the defense ministry said that Russian forces had carried out a ”group missile strike on workshops of Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises producing unmanned aerial vehicles and FPV drones.”

“The goals of the strikes have been accomplished, all designated facilities have been hit,” it said. The oblasts of Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Chernigov were struck in the widespread assault.

Importantly the attack involved Iskander-M ballistic missiles and over 120 drones, which Ukrainian forces claiming to have shot down seven Iskanders and 71 UAVs, according to Russian media sources.

The Ukrainian capital appears to have been one of the hardest hit cities in the wave of strikes, which has been a rarity over the last year. One person was killed there, and four injured, including a nine-year-old girl, Kiev’s mayor said.

This night, russia fired ballistic missiles and drones at Ukraine.
Unfortunately, one person was killed in Kyiv as a result of the attack. My condolences to the family. There are wounded, including a child.
Buildings, offices and civilian infrastructure have been damaged. All… pic.twitter.com/wIBiuJ4EQj

— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) February 12, 2025

Ukraine’s Deputy Energy Minister on Wednesday said that the recent Russian strikes on gas infrastructure is creating “certain pressure” and that Ukraine will need help from partners to import additional volume of gas.

According to description of the missile attack in Ukrainian regional media:

Kyiv’s air defense systems intercepted six Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles over the capital, according to Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA), citing the Air Force.

“This is a dangerous weapon that is not easy to neutralize, and even falling debris can cause serious destruction,” Tkachenko wrote on Telegram.

The attack damaged residential buildings, an office complex, and non-residential infrastructure in the Holosiivskyi, Svyatoshynskyi, Obolonskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Pecherskyi districts. As of 10:00 a.m., all fires in Kyiv had been extinguished or localized.

And Russia’s RT detailed, “Russian Telegram channels cited eyewitnesses reporting a 16 explosions across the city. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported fires in several districts, including one in the industrial zone in the northern part of the capital.”

President Zelensky reacted by saying that Vladimir Putin is “not preparing for peace” as “he continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy cities.”

“This night, Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones against Ukraine, damaging apartment buildings, office complexes, and civilian infrastructure.”

“Right now, we need unity and support from all our partners in the fight for a just end to this war,” he wrote on Telegram.

Just the day prior Zelensky offered a land swap deal to Putin, saying Ukraine will give up Kursk territory to end the war. The Tuesday comments described that if President Trump gets the warring sides to the negotiating table, “We will swap one territory for another.”

Moscow confirms massive strike on Ukrainian military plants. The attack targeted drone assembly enterprises, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. Russia has launched a major missile strike on Ukrainian military drone production plants, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.… pic.twitter.com/Th4UupvnKd

— DJ Danza (@DJDanzadotcom) February 12, 2025

The Ukrainian leader when asked in The Guardian interview precisely which territories Kiev would demand back, he responded: “I don’t know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority.” Obviously he has the four annexed eastern territories in mind.

But Wednesday’s ballistic missile and drone attack on Kiev has clearly slammed the door on Zelensky’s offer, which the Kremlin was never going to seriously entertain regardless. Ukraine has also continued to fire Western-supplied missiles on Russian territory, for which Moscow has warned it will start hitting command ‘decision-making centers’ in response.