At least 17 people were killed and dozens more wounded overnight in Kyiv, according to local officials, as Russia carried out another large-scale drone and missile assault on the Ukrainian capital.

As dawn broke on Thursday, fires were still burning across the city. Residential buildings in several districts were struck either directly or by falling debris, and a hotel on a central boulevard was also damaged. Authorities warned that the number of victims could rise, with emergency services reporting 86 people injured, 70 of whom required hospital treatment.

For hours, powerful explosions echoed across Kyiv as successive waves of drones, along with cruise and ballistic missiles, targeted the city. Ukrainian air defence systems attempted to intercept the incoming projectiles. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that in one location, a direct strike caused the collapse of the first through sixth floors of an apartment building. Elsewhere, rescuers pulled residents from beneath the rubble after part of another residential block gave way.

Russia has frequently combined missile and drone strikes against the capital, and officials had suggested in recent days that another extensive assault was likely. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned citizens on Wednesday that an attack could occur overnight. Speaking during a visit to Dublin, he urged Ukrainians to remain vigilant, protect their families and make use of shelters.

Thousands of residents sought refuge in metro stations throughout the city. After more than four years of full-scale war, the intensity of recent bombardments has renewed fears among the population. In late May, Russia had advised foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, saying it intended to increase strikes on what it described as “decision-making centres.”

The new wave of attacks comes as Russia grapples with fuel shortages following a Ukrainian campaign of long-range drone strikes targeting oil refineries. Several Russian regions have introduced petrol rationing, and authorities in occupied Crimea have declared a state of emergency.

Ukrainian leaders have said they will continue operations aimed at Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 and used as a key logistical base for Russian forces occupying parts of south-eastern Ukraine since 2022. On Thursday, the governor of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region reported that one person was killed in a drone strike on industrial facilities there.

Russia’s defence ministry stated that the latest assault on Ukraine involved weapons launched from air, land and sea, describing it as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks. Moscow claimed it had targeted military sites and energy infrastructure, and said strikes had also hit areas beyond Kyiv.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, speaking during a working visit to Japan, rejected the assertion that the bombardment was justified retaliation.

He said that Russia was the aggressor in the conflict, while Ukraine was defending itself. According to Sybiha, Moscow had no grounds to strike Ukrainian territory, whereas Kyiv retained the right to defend against aggression and to hit legitimate military targets inside Russia.

Sybiha renewed calls for international partners to provide additional air defence systems, describing the capital as having endured a “night of horror.”

Mayor Klitschko declared that Friday would be observed as a day of mourning in Kyiv. He reported that damage had been recorded across the city of roughly three million residents, with numerous buildings severely affected.

Neighbouring Poland, a member of Nato and the European Union, scrambled fighter jets as a precaution during the attack. Finland also temporarily introduced an aviation restriction zone in the eastern Gulf of Finland, according to its defence forces.