In a devastating escalation, Russia unleashed a massive aerial assault on Ukraine, targeting civilian areas and taking a heavy toll on human life. Over the course of the night, hundreds of drones and numerous missiles rained down, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 16 individuals and leaving more than 80 wounded, according to Ukrainian officials on Thursday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha detailed the onslaught on social media platform X, revealing that nearly 700 drones, alongside several ballistic and cruise missiles, were deployed, with civilians bearing the brunt of the attack.

The capital city of Kyiv was one of the hardest hit, where four lives were lost, including a 12-year-old child, and more than 50 people suffered injuries, Sybiha confirmed.

In the southern port city of Odesa, the assault claimed nine lives and injured 23 others. Meanwhile, in the central Dnipro region, three fatalities and approximately 36 injuries were reported. The southern city of Zaporizhzhia also suffered a casualty.

Sybiha condemned these acts on X, stating, “Such attacks cannot be normalized. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account.”

Demonstrating resilience, Ukraine’s air force announced that their air defenses successfully intercepted or disabled 667 out of the 703 incoming threats, which included 636 Shahed-type drones and various uncrewed aerial vehicles.

It said 20 strike drones and 12 missiles hit 26 locations.