- Date of Attack: Night and morning of Sept. 28, 2025
- Scale: Most massive strike on civilians since start of Russia's full-scale invasion
- Duration: Lasted over 12 hours
Scope of the Attack
- Total Attacks: 643 aerial strikes launched against Ukrainian cities
- 566 strike UAVs (drones)
- 35 Kh-101 cruise missiles
- 8 Kalibr cruise missiles
- 2 jet UAVs
Targeted Regions
- Main Targets:
- Kyiv and Kyiv region
- Zaporizhzhia
- Odesa
- Mykolaiv
- Sumy
- Chernihiv
- Khmelnytskyi
- Civilian Infrastructure Hit:
- Residential buildings and private houses
- A kindergarten in Kyiv
- The neurosurgery department of the National Institute of Cardiology
- Bread production facility
- Car tire factory
- Vehicles and local businesses
Human Impact
- Fatalities: At least 4 in Kyiv, including:
- 2 inside the damaged Institute of Cardiology
- A 12-year-old girl, recovered from rubble
- Injured: At least 40 people, including children
- Regional Casualties:
- Zaporizhzhia: 39 injured in a nine-storey apartment building strike
- Kyiv region (Petropavlivska Borshchahivka): Entire street destroyed, private homes demolished
Emergency Response
- Rescue Operations:
- 1,500+ rescuers and police deployed across 11 regions
- 2 rescuers injured during collapsing structure incidents
- Damage: Over 100 civilian facilities destroyed or damaged
- Reports: 700+ citizen reports of destroyed/damaged property (number still rising)
Legal & International Dimensions
- Evidence Collection:
- Every missile/drone fragment, damaged building, and citizen testimony documented
- Material prepared for international courts and partner nations
- Accusations: Russia accused of war crimes, deliberate targeting of civilians
- Context:
- Attack came immediately after the 80th U.N. General Assembly
- Seen as blatant rejection of peace efforts, including calls by President Donald Trump
Political & Strategic Implications
- Message from Moscow: Russia signals no intent to end the war
- Ukraine's Appeal:
- Stronger sanctions against Russia
- Increased international pressure
- Greater military and humanitarian support
- Warning to Europe: Ukraine stresses that Russia's aggression could expand beyond its borders if not stopped
