Russia launched a massive aerial assault on Kyiv early Friday morning in direct retaliation for Ukraine's unprecedented "Operation Spiderweb" attack that hit 41 Russian strategic bombers across multiple airfields deep inside Russian territory.
Russian ballistic missiles and drones have been launched toward Ukraine from multiple directions, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram Friday, marking Moscow's swift response to one of the most audacious Ukrainian military operations of the entire war.
Fires caused by falling debris and drone strikes were reported in buildings across Kyiv, as Ukraine attempted to repel the Russian attack, the Head of Kyiv City Military Administration Tymur Tkachenko said. The attack targeted residential areas in the Ukrainian capital, with a high-rise building in the Solomyansky district of Kyiv damaged.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the ongoing nature of the assault, telling residents via Telegram: "The attack on the capital continues. Stay in shelters!" Klitschko also reported fires in the districts of Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi of the Ukrainian capital.
This escalation comes just days after Ukraine executed what military analysts are calling one of the most sophisticated covert operations in modern warfare.
A Ukrainian drone attack has hit more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russia's territory, a Ukrainian security official told The Associated Press, in an operation that took over 1.5 years to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.