At least 16 people have been killed, including a 12-year-old child, in Ukraine after Russian forces unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones overnight.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people had died in the capital, while seven people were killed in Odesa and two in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where Russian attacks set residential buildings ablaze.
Photos of the attack on Ukrainian cities showed the night sky turning orange as Ukrainian air forces tried to intercept the incoming aerial weapons.
An air raid alert remained in effect in both Kyiv and Dnipro more than two hours after it had been imposed in the capital as Vladimir Putin’s forces ramped up their attacks.
Just hours earlier, Ukraine said its forces had downed or intercepted at least 349 drones and 20 missiles in a daytime attack.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian cities have become repeat targets for brutal attacks. "We need air defence missiles every single day – every day the Russians continue their strikes on our cities,” he said in an appeal to allies.
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Zelensky says Putin 'betting on war' as 100 injured in overnight attacks
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia should not get any sanctions relief after an overnight attack killed 15 people and left at least 100 injured.
The US has eased sanctions on Russia's oil trade since the war with Iran disrupted global energy markets.
“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions. Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
Zelensky said at least 19 ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles, were used by Russia in the overnight barrage. “Most of the ballistic missiles targeted Kyiv. 636 drones and some of the missiles were shot down,” he said.
Ukrainian cities of Mykolaiv, Kherson without power, local officials say
Ukraine's southern city of Mykolaiv and some other settlements in the surrounding region were without power following a morning Russian attack on energy infrastructure, local officials said on Thursday.
The city of Kherson, in the neighbouring region, was also without power, a local official said, adding that the cause for the blackout was being investigated.
Kremlin says drone plans for Ukraine are pulling Europe deeper into war
European plans to step up drone supplies to Ukraine are dragging those countries deeper into a war with Russia, the Russian defence ministry said.
The ministry said it believes governments in a number of EU countries have decided to increase the production and supply of drones to Ukraine, a move Moscow views as a step that is escalating the conflict.
It published a list of factories and enterprises in several European countries it alleges manufacture drones or drone components, and gave their addresses, including sites in Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Israel and Poland, among others.
"The European public should not only have a clear understanding of the true causes of the threats to their security, but also be aware of the addresses and locations of Ukrainian and joint enterprises producing UAVs and components for Ukraine within their own countries," it said.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, said in a subsequent post on X that the list published by the military amounted to a list of potential targets for Russia's armed forces.
"When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!" he said.
UK to send £752m and 120,000 drones to Ukraine to bolster defences against Russia
Britain has announced a major new package of support for Ukraine, worth millions of pounds, as senior ministers engage in a series of high-level international meetings.
The aid comes as Kyiv continues to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
In Washington DC, chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed a £752m payment to Ukraine, ahead of a meeting with Yulia Svyrydenko, the Ukrainian prime minister.
The payment, part of a larger £3.36bn loan, is earmarked to procure essential military equipment, including long-range missiles, advanced air defence systems, and drones.
Ms Reeves said: “This funding will help deliver the military equipment Ukraine needs as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked war.
UK to send £752m and 120,000 drones to Ukraine to bolster defences against Russia
Drones now account for the majority of battlefield casualtiesArpan Rai16 April 2026 09:06
16 killed in Russia's worst attack on Ukraine this year
Russia unleashed its deadliest attack so far this year on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities overnight, killing 16 people, including a 12-year-old child, and wounding scores, in drone and missile strikes, officials said this morning.
Fires burned out of control in parts of the capital, sending black smoke billowing into the night sky, as firefighters struggled to control multiple blazes. The morning saw residents and emergency crews cleaning debris scattered around heavily damaged buildings in the city.
Four people, including the child, died in Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Nine people were killed in Odesa, and two in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where Russian attacks set residential buildings ablaze, according to regional officials.
Air force units shot down or neutralised 31 missiles and 636 drones, but 12 missiles and 20 drones hit in the 24 hours to 7am (0500 GMT) on Thursday, the air force said.
Deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said rescue operations were ongoing and the toll could rise.
Zelensky says Putin 'betting on war' as 100 injured in overnight attacks
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia should not get any sanctions relief after an overnight attack killed 15 people and left at least 100 injured.
The US has eased sanctions on Russia's oil trade since the war with Iran disrupted global energy markets.
“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions. Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
Zelensky said at least 19 ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles, were used by Russia in the overnight barrage. “Most of the ballistic missiles targeted Kyiv. 636 drones and some of the missiles were shot down,” he said.
In photos: Deadly attack on Ukraine leaves 15 dead, 90 injured
Ukraine says it downs 31 missiles, 636 drones in Russian attacks over past 24 hours
Ukraine's air force downed or neutralised 31 Russian missiles and 636 drones in attacks at the country over the past 24 hours, it said this morning.
"During this period, the enemy launched two waves of combined attacks on Ukrainian territory, using ground-based and air-launched missiles, as well as attack drones," the air force said in a statement on Telegram.
Overall, it detected 703 Russian aerial targets, it added.
Death toll rises to 15 in Russia overnight attacks on Ukraine
At least 15 people have been killed and 90 have been injured in Russian attacks targeting Ukrainian cities overnight, according to foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.
“The attack primarily targeted civilians. At least 4 people were killed in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old child, with over 50 more injured, 8 killed in Odesa, 3 killed and three dozen injured in Dnipro, 1 killed in Zaporizhzhia,” he said.
He said that Russian attacks in the past 24 hours involved almost 700 drones as well as dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles.
“Such attacks cannot be normalised. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account. We urge the international community to take immediate action. All decisions required to increase pressure on the aggressor must be unblocked now,” he said.
Sybiha said delaying sanctions on Moscow or aid packages for Ukraine was “immoral, counterproductive, and dangerous”.
Putin was ‘never friends with Orban’ after historic election defeat, says Kremlin
The Kremlin has declared that it was “never friends” with outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, as it braces for a new era of relations with Budapest following his landslide loss to a pro-EU candidate.
Mr Orban, who enjoyed warm relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin and was a persistent thorn in Ukraine’s side as it sought financial backing for its war effort from a divided Europe, was swept aside by Peter Magyar and his centre-right Tisza party.
What the future holds for the Russia-Hungary relationship is unclear, but in light of Mr Orban’s collapse in public support, Moscow now appears to be distancing itself and playing down the loss of its most influential ally in the European Union.
“We were never friends with Orban,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to The Guardian. Hungary’s official designation is as an “unfriendly country”, he added, explaining that Russia therefore did not congratulate Mr Magyar on his election win.
Kremlin declares Putin was ‘never friends with Orban’ after historic election defeat
Moscow distances itself from influential EU ally as it attempts to play down his lossArpan Rai16 April 2026 07:11NewerOlder