Night in Flames: Russia’s Largest-Scale Attack on Kyiv Claims 15 Lives and Silences the World Again

On the night of June 16–17, 2025, Russia launched an unprecedented airstrike on Ukraine: over 440 drones and 32 missiles targeted the city of Kyiv and other regions, creating one of the largest nighttime operations in the history of the full-scale war. This was reported by Upmp.news.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the night raids involved Shahed drones, cruise, and ballistic missiles. In the capital, there were 27 attack epicenters — residential buildings, kindergartens, schools, infrastructure. A nine-story building in the Solomianskyi district was particularly affected — its upper floors were destroyed by a missile strike.

At least 15 people were killed — 14 in Kyiv and one in Odesa, with a 62-year-old U.S. citizen injured.

Between 99 and 156 people were wounded in the capital, with different sources reporting figures of 99 (Reuters), 114 (Al Jazeera), 131 (CBS/AP), and 156 (AP).

Dozens of apartments were destroyed, and kindergartens, schools, the railway, and transport networks were damaged.

The president called the night strike “pure terror” and drew attention to Western inaction, urging support for Ukraine.

Kyiv declared June 18 a day of mourning, and rescue teams — more than 2,000 people with special equipment — were deployed to the strike sites.

Russia is increasingly using multichannel attacks: drones and missiles to overload our air defense systems.

This decision coincides with the beginning of Russia’s summer offensive and the simultaneous halting of the peace process.

Against the backdrop of the G7 summit in Canada, Zelenskyy faces a serious challenge: securing new aid, while in the U.S., controversy surrounds Trump’s position in favor of re-admitting Russia to the G7.

Ukrainian air defenses worked effectively, shooting down hundreds of targets — including 175 drones and 14 missiles directed at Kyiv.

However, drones are evolving: flying at higher altitudes, changing trajectories — which poses a threat to air defense. In light of this, Ukraine is calling on the West to deploy systems like the European Sky Shield over its territory.

This nighttime attack is a disturbing illustration of modern warfare: serial attacks on civilians, exploitation of technological “gaps” in air defenses, and disregard for humanitarian responsibility. Yet each fragment is also proof of our resilience. Ukraine now needs support more than ever — not just weapons, but strategic security infrastructure. If the West truly seeks peace and justice — the time has come to act decisively.

This is not just an attack — it is a challenge to our desire for life and freedom. Those who died were peacefully sleeping in their own homes. This is a terrorist act, deliberate and simultaneously a demonstration of the world’s silence in the face of its consequences. We must emerge from this night not shamed, but stronger — ready to defend ourselves and demand a response to aggression.