Russia hits Kyiv and ten oblasts in large overnight missile and drone attack
Russia launched a large overnight missile and drone strike on 28–29 September 2025, hitting Kyiv and at least ten oblasts. Ukrainian air defense said all incoming missiles and 106 drones were intercepted, but the salvo damaged a major Kyiv railway depot, data and business centers, residential buildings, energy infrastructure and two foreign vessels in Odesa region.
Key points
- Air Force reported Russia launched 1 anti-ship missile (Zircon/Onyx), 2 ballistic missiles (Iskander-M/S-400), 152 strike UAVs (82 jet-powered), Gerbera drones and Parodia decoys.
- Ukrainian air defense said it neutralized all missiles and 106 drones as of 08:00.
- Strikes hit Kyiv and the oblasts of Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Volyn and Rivne.
- In Kyiv, the depot of the Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi station, data centers, business centers and residential buildings were damaged; damage was recorded in the Solomiansky, Holosiivsky, Obolonsky and Pechersky districts.
- In Odesa region, an educational facility, a dormitory and two foreign vessels were struck.
- Energy facilities, substations, civilian enterprises and residential buildings were damaged across the affected oblasts.
- Zelensky thanked the US and Norway for the NASAMS system and a missile package, and France and Germany for recent air-defense missile support.
Why it matters
The attack combined ballistic missiles, an anti-ship missile and a very large drone package, illustrating both the scale of Russia's overnight strike pattern and its targeting of civilian infrastructure — from a major railway depot and data centers in Kyiv to foreign-flagged vessels in Odesa. Zelensky's public thanks to four Western capitals ties the interception outcome directly to recent air-defense missile deliveries, underlining how dependent Ukraine's air defense remains on allied military aid amid a reported interceptor shortage.
What happened
Russia attacked Ukraine from the evening of 28 September into 29 September 2025 with what the Air Force described as one Zircon/Onyx anti-ship missile, two Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, 152 strike UAVs (82 of them jet-powered), Gerbera drones and Parodia imitation drones. Ukrainian air defense reported that all of the missiles and 106 drones were neutralized as of 08:00. The strikes hit Kyiv and the oblasts of Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Volyn and Rivne. In Kyiv, the depot of the Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi railway station, data centers, business centers and residential buildings were damaged, with impacts recorded in the Solomiansky, Holosiivsky, Obolonsky and Pechersky districts. In Odesa region, an educational facility, a dormitory and two foreign vessels were struck. Across the affected oblasts, energy facilities, substations, civilian enterprises and residential buildings were damaged. Zelensky said remediation work was continuing virtually continuously and thanked the United States and Norway for the NASAMS system and a missile package, and France and Germany for recent air-defense missile support.
Where reporting differs
Casualty reports from Kyiv diverge: Kyiv authorities initially said no one was injured in the overnight missile and drone strikes, while a later report from the Holosiivsky district describes a drone hitting a house and injuring one person, with additional private-house damage in the Solomiansky district during a subsequent morning drone wave.
Background
Russian air strikes on Ukraine, and on Kyiv and Kyiv oblast in particular, have intensified in the preceding period amid a reported shortage of interceptor missiles for Ukrainian air-defense systems. Ukraine has reportedly contracted roughly 1,000 missiles for Patriot systems, most of which are expected to be delivered only in coming years.