Substantive update: Russian strikes kill seven and injure 59 in Kyiv as Ukraine's biggest steel plant shuts

Kyiv's mayor said Russian drone attacks on September 25 had killed seven people and injured 59, including a 14-year-old boy. Four bodies were found after a separate daytime strike on an office building. ArcelorMittal also announced the shutdown of production at Ukraine's largest steel plant.

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Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said later on September 25 that the day's attacks had killed seven people and injured 59, including 25 who were hospitalised and one in serious condition. In addition to the 14-year-old boy killed in the overnight apartment strike, four bodies were found in a car park after a separate daytime strike on an office building. The toll may still change as searches continue.

ArcelorMittal said its Kryvyi Rih operation, Ukraine's largest steel plant, could no longer be run safely and sustainably after four strikes in five weeks caused extensive damage and killed five workers. It is shutting production, expects a non-cash impairment charge of about $1 billion and is discussing preservation of the site and future restart options with the Ukrainian government.

The plant employs about 12,500 people and 3,500 contractors. The company is assessing the workforce required to preserve the site, maintain security and support essential functions and is consulting employee representatives. This does not mean every job has already been cut, but the employment and local economic risks have increased materially.

Ukrainian police said a Russian drone struck a 16-storey apartment building in Kyiv's central Pechersk district early on September 25, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring at least seven people. A Reuters journalist in Kyiv heard an explosion. Casualty and damage assessments were continuing.

Odesa's regional governor said a 'massive' Russian attack hit a residential area and postal logistics premises, killing one person and injuring one. Those figures are separate from Kyiv's toll. Ukrainian emergency services also reported fires at non-residential buildings in other Kyiv districts earlier in the night.

Russia's defence ministry said it struck Ukrainian defence-industry facilities, logistics centres and vessels used by Ukrainian forces. N Globe cannot independently verify every target or determine from available evidence the drone type, flight path or full chain of responsibility for the apartment strike.

The following is verified background from the previous round of attacks:

Ukraine's air force said Russia used an unspecified number of hypersonic and ballistic missiles, 282 drones and other weapons in the September 24 overnight assault. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and regional officials reported at least eight killed and 20 injured nationwide.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko updated the capital's toll to two killed and eight injured. One victim was in a maternity-hospital car park. The hospital's facade, doors and windows were damaged, but the latest report said no patients or medical staff were injured. Nine homes, a post office, warehouses and dozens of cars were also damaged.

Kharkiv regional prosecutors said a separate strike hit a vegetable-storage facility at a village farm, killing six people and injuring 12. Those casualties are separate from Kyiv's two dead and eight injured and bring the current nationwide toll to at least eight dead and 20 injured.

A medical facility was damaged in Odesa, infrastructure was hit in Rivne and Volyn also came under attack. Moldova said four Russian drones crossed into its airspace and at least one exploded; Romania said a drone crashed on its territory, while NATO member Poland deployed aircraft twice.

Correction: An early version, based on the initial report, said three medical workers were injured in Kyiv. The latest official update changed the Kyiv injury count to eight and explicitly said no maternity-hospital patients or medical staff were hurt; Kharkiv region also reported six dead and 12 injured. The headline, summary and article have been corrected.

Verification status: corrected/updated. Kyiv's mayor and police reported the September 25 toll, ArcelorMittal confirmed the plant shutdown, and Reuters reported from Kyiv and checked the broader context; casualties may still change. News value: S-level breaking news. Origin: Ukraine, Europe. Primary section: War/military. Related regions: Europe and worldwide. Initial source time: September 25, 2026, 06:26 UTC. Latest N Globe update: September 25, 2026, 22:28 UTC. N Globe editorial illustration, not scene footage.

This report is an original summary based on verified sources, not a verbatim reproduction.