A coordinated Russian missile barrage struck multiple Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Thursday, killing at least four civilians and wounding dozens more, according to emergency services and local officials. The attacks, which targeted residential areas and critical infrastructure, mark one of the largest single-day strikes in recent weeks.
Sources in Kyiv’s military command confirm that Russian forces launched a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles from the Black Sea and southern front lines. Air defence systems intercepted a significant number of projectiles, but several slipped through, hitting a residential block in the central Dnipro region and a power substation in Kharkiv.
In the city of Dnipro, two bodies were recovered from the rubble of an apartment building that collapsed after a direct hit. Emergency workers are still sifting through debris, fearing the death toll could rise. Another strike in Zaporizhzhia killed a father and his young daughter as they fled to a shelter.
Dozens of wounded have been rushed to hospitals, many with shrapnel and burn injuries. Medical staff at Dnipro City Hospital report they are operating at full capacity, with critical supplies running low. ‘We are seeing injuries we haven’t seen in months,’ a senior surgeon told me, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The pattern of these strikes is clear: hit infrastructure to deepen the humanitarian crisis, target homes to spread terror. Uncovered satellite imagery from commercial sources shows that the missile launchers used in this attack were relocated hours before from occupied Crimea to launch sites near the front line. This suggests careful planning, not a spontaneous act of rage.
Western intelligence, which I have reviewed, indicates that the Kremlin’s aim is to test Ukraine’s air defence resilience ahead of an expected winter campaign against the power grid. The message is brutal: no city is safe.
President Zelenskyy has condemned the strikes as ‘another proof of Russian state terrorism’ and renewed calls for advanced air defence systems. But the reality on the ground is that existing coverage is stretched thin. Military analysts warn that without more interceptors, the civilian toll will only mount.
This is a developing story. I have sources inside Ukraine’s air command who are tracking further launches. The financial cost of these strikes is staggering: each missile used today is worth millions of dollars. But the human cost is incalculable. Every body pulled from the rubble is a family destroyed, a home erased.
I’ll keep you posted as more documents and casualty figures come in. For now, four dead, dozens wounded, and a nation braced for the next wave.
