Russia Fires 36 Ballistic Missiles and 172 Drones at Kyiv Overnight, Killing at Least Two

Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and surrounding regions overnight from November 7 into November 8, firing 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said air defences intercepted only four of the ballistic missiles; at least two people were killed and more than a dozen injured across the country, the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River was hit and closed, and power and water supplies were cut in several areas.

Three waves; Northern Bridge hit and closed

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack came in three waves: the first shortly before 11 p.m. on November 7, the second at about 1 a.m., and the third at about 3 to 3:30 a.m. Missiles struck the 816-metre Northern Bridge (Pivnichnyi Bridge), which was closed in both directions; a two-storey kindergarten building in the Solomianskyi district was destroyed, several five-storey residential buildings were damaged with facades torn off and windows blown out, and a truck and a non-residential building caught fire. Five people were injured in Kyiv, including a 14-year-old, two of whom were taken to hospital; the northern city of Chernihiv was left completely without power.

Energy facilities damaged; five regions without power

Ukraine's Energy Ministry said the strikes damaged networks carrying electricity from nuclear power plants to Kyiv and the central regions, as well as other power facilities, leaving five regions without power. Zelenskyy said the attack hit 12 regions beyond Kyiv, injuring nine more people, including a child. Casualty figures remain provisional as officials continue to assess the damage.

Zelenskyy: only four intercepted amid Patriot shortage

Zelenskyy said only four of the 36 ballistic missiles were intercepted because of a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, and that some of the missiles were North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missiles, based on preliminary findings from inspections of impact sites. Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed it had targeted the Northern Bridge, saying it was used to transport weapons and military equipment, and said it also struck the Meridian plant, which it says produces Flamingo cruise missiles. Russia said it shot down 411 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine strikes back the same night; Abu Dhabi talks ahead

Ukraine struck back the same night, with fires reported at the Saratov oil refinery and a military electronics plant in Oryol; a Ukrainian drone hit a private home in Grayvoron in Russia's Belgorod region, killing one person. The attack came three days before negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are due to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, the first trilateral engagement of its kind since February.

(Sources: Associated Press; Reuters; Agence France-Presse; The Kyiv Independent; Office of the President of Ukraine; Russian Ministry of Defence.)