Devastation in Kyiv: A Night of Heavy Russian Bombardment

Sat Sep 13 2025 12:40:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A series of intense missile and drone strikes leaves Kyiv reeling, claiming the lives of at least 19 civilians, including children.

Kyiv was shaken by one of its heaviest bombardments in weeks, with nearly 600 drones and over 30 missiles launched overnight by Russian forces. Amid the chaos, lives have been shattered, and the remnants of homes now serve as a somber reminder of the ongoing war's toll on civilians. The latest strikes, particularly devastating in the Darnytskyi district, underscore the persistent peril of life in the Ukrainian capital, forcing individuals like Iryna Kutsenko to grapple with the loss of loved ones and the uncertainty of safety during nighttime assaults.

By day, Kyiv can often feel far from the front line. But at night, the war looms large.

In the morning rush hour, the traffic along the Dnipro river embankment is heavy and slow-moving as people try to get to work and go about their daily lives.

During the night, every so often, the air raid sirens go off. Much of the time, people glance at their phones and then decide on their plan of action, depending on the threat.

Last night, monitoring channels such as Telegram alerted Kyiv residents to a potentially heavy attack involving not just drones but missiles too. They are not always accurate, but this time the air raid sirens rang and people listened.

The muffled thud of air defences intercepting drones and missiles was the soundtrack to most of the night. People can sleep through them.

But then, around 03:00, there was a loud explosion – the sound of a missile that had hit a building. It was enough to wake people up across the city.

People made their way to the shelter. Every so often, we could hear the whirr of a drone overhead; then flashes of light as some were shot down and they fell from the sky.

After the big explosion that woke us up, we could see huge plumes of smoke on the horizon.

That, we now know, was the strike on the Darnytskyi district on Kyiv's left bank.

It was hit by at least one missile, on a night that Russia fired almost 600 drones and more than 30 missiles, according to the Ukrainian military.

Missile and drone strikes were recorded in 13 different locations, and the attack on Darnytskyi was the most deadly.

Arriving at the site on Wednesday morning, we could see the aftermath for ourselves.

The missile ripped through the middle of the low-rise block of flats; the five floors had totally collapsed where it hit.

Rescue workers were clambering over the rubble – some of it was still smouldering.

The brick and wrought-iron balconies were twisted in the blast, some hanging by a thread. Plant pots and fruit baskets sat on broken windowsills, a reminder of the families that until hours earlier had led their lives tucked away behind these walls.

Nearby, Iryna Kutsenko was sitting on a chair, her mobile phone to her ear.

Since 03:30 she has tried desperately to contact her mother Liubov. Every time she calls, it just rings out.

You never think it will be your house that's hit, she says, starting to cry. Her mother didn't want to go to the shelter. She was a slower walker than Iryna so decided to shelter in the corridor.

The death toll in Kyiv climbed throughout the day, with at least 19 killed including four children. The trauma of such an attack leaves deep scars, and as the city attempts to recover, many residents face the uncertainty of a future marred by violence.

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