Russia launched a devastating missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight, killing four civilians and injuring at least 20 others, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. The attack came just days after Ukrainian forces destroyed several Russian strategic bombers in an audacious strike deep inside Russian territory.

Powerful explosions echoed throughout the Ukrainian capital as air raid sirens wailed and residents scrambled for shelter in metro stations and underground car parks. Reuters reporters on the ground described the sound of Russian kamikaze drones buzzing over the city, followed by a barrage of anti-aircraft fire and a series of thunderous blasts that shook buildings and shattered windows across Kyiv.

An interior view of a damaged apartment building after it was struck by a Russian drone, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Ukraine’s air force reported that the assault on Kyiv involved a combination of Iranian-designed kamikaze drones and Kalibr cruise missiles. Despite efforts to intercept the barrage, several projectiles reached their targets.

According to Reuters, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the casualties, stating that 16 of the 20 injured were hospitalized. The city’s metro system was also disrupted when a missile strike hit a train between stations, Kyiv’s military administration reported.

In the Solomenskiy district, one of the hardest-hit areas, a Russian drone slammed into an apartment building, gouging a large hole in its side and leaving it scorched by fire. Debris from the blast crushed several parked vehicles, and police investigators at the scene were seen examining parts believed to be from the drone’s engine.

Investigators look at what they say is the engine of a Russian Geran drone after it slammed into an apartment building during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Retaliation for Ukrainian Bomber Strike

The Russian strike follows a dramatic Ukrainian operation over the weekend in which quadrocopter drones, smuggled in wooden sheds, were used by Ukrainian intelligence agents to destroy several of Russia’s strategic bombers on the ground. These aircraft had played a key role in Moscow’s long-range bombing campaigns.

A man inspects damage next to a shattered window at the site of a Russian strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The Kremlin’s retaliatory strike on Kyiv appears to be a direct response to the attack on its air bases. U.S. President Donald Trump, who spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, said that Putin had warned of a forthcoming Russian response to Ukraine’s deep strikes into Russian territory.