Russia kills at least 16 people in a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine
Russia launched Authorities said nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting civilians, in their largest aerial bombardment in nearly two weeks.
Tetyana Sokol, 54, a Kiev resident, said two missiles landed near her home and she hid with her dog in the hallway as flashes lit up the night and windows shattered from the blast wave.
She told the Associated Press: “In the third attack, everything was broken, everything flew, and we were in shock, and we did not know where to run. I grabbed everything in my hand and ran away with the dog.” “I still can’t find the cats in the house, they’ve climbed somewhere, I don’t even know. No windows, nothing, the dog is still wandering around nervous.”
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Kiev after a Russian strike on April 16, 2026. Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles into civilian areas across Ukraine, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 80 others, officials said. (Serhiy Okunev/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian forces have been bombing civilian areas on an almost daily basis since their comprehensive invasion of their neighbor more than four years ago, and regular attacks are sometimes interspersed with large-scale attacks. The United Nations says more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed in the raids.
Zelensky is on a mission to improve air defenses
The latest bombing follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 48-hour trip this week to Germany, Norway and Italy in an urgent search for more air defense systems that can stop Russian missiles.
Ukraine has developed a significant domestic arms industry, especially in the production of drones and missiles, but it cannot yet keep up with the sophistication of the US Patriot air defense systems. Zelensky said this week that Ukraine’s top diplomatic priority was securing allied help to buy and build more and better air defenses.
Cash-strapped Ukraine also needs the quick disbursement of the promised loan European Union Of the €90 billion ($106 billion) blocked by Hungary.
Ukraine fears that a war against Iran would deplete its stockpiles of the advanced American-made systems it needs, and has opposed a temporary US exemption from Russian oil sanctions that Kiev says help finance the Kremlin’s war effort.
A woman walks her dog through the rubble of a house damaged in a Russian raid in Kiev, Ukraine, on April 16, 2026. Officials said Russian forces launched nearly 700 drones and several missiles in a sweeping attack on Ukrainian civilians that lasted from day into night. (AP Photo/Evgeny Maloletka)
“Another night proved that Russia does not deserve any easing of global politics or lifting of sanctions,” Zelensky said.
He thanked Germany, Norway and Italy for that New agreements this week On support for the air defense of Ukraine. He added that officials are also working with the Netherlands on additional supplies.
At the same time, he noted that some partner countries had not implemented their pledges to provide military support.
“I have instructed the Air Force Commander to contact partners who previously pledged to provide Patriot missiles and other systems,” Zelensky said.
Other regions in Ukraine and Russia were also bombed
The bombing was the largest in weeks. last month, Russia launched 948 drones And 34 missiles within 24 hours in the largest attack in the war on civilian areas.
At least four people were killed overnight in Kiev, including a 12-year-old, and more than 50 others were injured, according to authorities. Officials said The attack was damaged 17 residential buildings and 10 private homes, in addition to a hotel, office center, car dealership, gas station, and shopping center in the capital.
Zelensky: The Russian drone attack on a passenger train is a “terrorist act”
Firefighters work in a building damaged in an overnight raid by Russia in Kiev, Ukraine, on April 16, 2026. Ukrainian officials said the hours-long Russian air attack hit Kiev, Odessa, the Dnipro region and Zaporizhia, damaging homes and other civilian sites. (Ghenya Savelov/AFP via Getty Images)
Nine people were killed and 23 injured in the coastal city of Odessa in the south of the country, three women were killed and about 36 others were injured in the Dnipro region in the center of the country, and one person was killed in Zaporozhye in the south.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sipha said in his statements to Channel
The Ukrainian Air Force said air defenses shot down or disabled 667 out of 703 incoming targets, including 636 targets. Shahid drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles.
It added that 20 drones and 12 missiles struck 26 sites.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Veniamin Kondratyev, reported that a 14-year-old girl and a woman were killed in Ukrainian strikes in the Black Sea port of Tuapse.
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He said the attacks destroyed six residential buildings, 24 private homes and three schools. Fragments of a drone also fell near the port of Tuapse.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses shot down 207 Ukrainian drones overnight.
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