By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine was under an ongoing Russian ballistic missile and drone attack early Friday, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on air bases deep inside Russia.
Multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, the capital, with ongoing strikes wounding at least three people, officials and witnesses said.
Falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City. Timestamped video footage seen by Worthy News confirmed that assessment.
Three people were wounded, local officials said. They urged residents to seek shelter, including in an underground metro railway station.
Worthy News observed that many, including men, women, and children, were anxiously awaiting the end of the massive strike on their city of 3 million people.
Not everyone found a hiding place in time, including in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district, a transport hub for train and air traffic, where a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story residential building.
EVACUATIONS UNDERWAY
Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations were ongoing. Officials said another fire broke out in a metal warehouse.
Elsewhere in the northern Chernihiv region, an Iran-made Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building, shattering windows and doors, according to regional military administration chief Dmytro Bryzhynskyi.
He added that explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the outskirts of the city.
It came hours after U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Ukraine and Russia may need to keep fighting for a while.
He compared the two warring neighboring nations to squabbling children in an armed conflict he once promised to end in a day.
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than a million people are believed to have been killed or injured on both sides.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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