Nine killed, 33 injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv and surrounding region

Published on 20/08/2026 - 8:09 GMT+2

At least nine people were killed in an overnight Russian missile barrage on Kyiv, as explosions were heard across the Ukrainian capital, local authorities said on Thursday.

Another 33 people were injured, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service, while air raid alerts remained in place into the early hours of the morning.

The strikes hit 12 sites across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging homes, a medical facility and an educational institution. Emergency crews rescued people trapped under the rubble.

In Solomianskyi, the top two floors of a nine-storey residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter.

Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said an attack in the Brovary district on the outskirts of the capital killed one man and injured another.

"One industrial facility has been damaged. All relevant services are on site, working to extinguish the fire," he added.

The attacks also prompted security responses in neighbouring NATO member states.

Poland’s military said it deployed aircraft and activated air defence systems to protect its airspace, particularly near the Ukrainian border.

Romania’s Defence Ministry said radar detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border, prompting two Spanish fighter jets deployed on NATO missions and a Romanian Air Force helicopter to be scrambled.

Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks on the capital to constrain Kyiv's defence stocks. Kyiv has limited systems capable of intercepting ballistic threats, while supplies of missiles for its US-made Patriot defence systems remain constrained.

Ukraine has also stepped up long-range strikes on weapons depots, military facilities and other strategic targets inside Russia, in an effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to continue attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Moscow authorities said around 250 drones targeted the region overnight, with most intercepted at a significant distance from the Russian capital.