Kyiv: At least 14 people, including three children, were killed and 48 injured after Russia launched a massive drone and missile assault on Ukraine’s capital early Thursday, marking one of the largest air attacks in the three-year war. Rescue teams continued to pull people trapped under rubble, with officials warning the toll could rise.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 598 strike drones and decoys along with 31 missiles, of which 563 drones and 26 missiles were intercepted. Nearly 100 buildings, including a central shopping mall, were damaged across seven districts of Kyiv, shattering thousands of windows.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of choosing “ballistics instead of the negotiating table” and urged global leaders to respond.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed it downed 102 Ukrainian drones overnight. Fires broke out at oil refineries in Krasnodar and Samara following Ukrainian drone strikes, as Kyiv continues targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure to weaken its war economy.