Russia's Massive Drone-Missile Assault Kills Civilians

Russia launched a massive overnight assault involving nearly 600 drones and several dozen missiles in a more than 12-hour barrage that struck Kyiv and at least six other regions, damaging residential buildings, a cardiology clinic, a kindergarten, factories and other infrastructure. Ukrainian officials said at least four people were killed, including a 12-year-old girl, and about 40 others were wounded, while air defenses intercepted the majority of incoming drones and missiles. Kyiv and national leaders denounced the strikes as attacks on civilians; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for stronger Western economic pressure and promised a response. Moscow’s defence ministry said it targeted military infrastructure and denied deliberately hitting civilians, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of decisive responses if foreign states act against Russian airspace. NATO and neighbouring Poland scrambled fighter jets, put ground-based air defences on high alert and briefly closed limited airspace near the border as a precaution, with no confirmed violation of Polish airspace reported.