Massive Russian Missile and Drone Attack on Kyiv Kills 15, Injures 39, Hits Hospital, School and Homes

Russian forces launched a major combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, Aug. 20, killing at least 15 people and injuring 39 as strikes damaged residential buildings, a children’s hospital, a school, and other civilian infrastructure across the Ukrainian capital. As of 3:20 a.m. Kyiv time, the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) said consequences of the attack had been recorded at more than 12 locations across the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Solomianskyi districts. Residential buildings, a medical facility, and an educational institution were damaged, while large warehouse fires broke out.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Unfortunately, five people were killed by the enemy. Another 23 people were injured,” KMVA said initially. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had earlier reported three people killed and 20 injured, 14 of whom were hospitalized, before the city military administration raised the toll. However, later Klitschko reported that the death toll in Kyiv has risen, while 33 people were injured. “Another injured person died in hospital. Twelve people are dead in the capital at this time,” the report reads. Seven of the fatalities were reported in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district. Firefighters continue to extinguish fires in the Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi, and Darnytskyi districts. State Emergency Service units and other relevant services are working at the scene. In a subsequent report, the mayor added that Friday, Aug. 21, has been declared a Day of Mourning in Kyiv to honor the victims of the massive Russian attack on the capital. “On this day, flags will be lowered on all municipal buildings in the city. It is also recommended that national flags be lowered on state and privately owned buildings across the capital,” the report reads. All Friday entertainment events are prohibited in Kyiv. Later, the State Emergency Service (DSNS) reported that the death toll in Kyiv had risen to 13 people. In the Kyiv region, one person has been reported killed and seven injured. “Our units in the Solomyanskyi district of the capital discovered the body of another woman. In total, 14 people have died and more than 40 have been injured in this Russian attack in Kyiv and the region,” the DSNS said. As of 12:30 p.m., the death toll in Kyiv has risen to 15 people, with 39 others injured. All relevant emergency services remain at the scene. More than 600 rescuers and police officers have been involved in the response since the attack began. Emergency services are currently working at two sites in the capital and three more in the Boryspil and Brovary districts. In the first minutes after the strikes, DSNS and National Police units rescued and provided first aid to dozens of people. Police have set up headquarters at the attack sites to accept reports of damaged or destroyed property. In Kyiv alone, more than 200 applications have already been registered. Psychologists are also providing support to people who have lost relatives or been left without homes. Around 20 residential buildings, a school, a children’s hospital and a kindergarten were significantly damaged in the capital. The DSNS said it had deployed all necessary personnel and equipment, including robotic systems, to clear the rubble and search for survivors. “We are checking whether there are more people under the rubble. In the Kyiv region, a fire has engulfed warehouses with household goods. Rescuers are trying to contain the flames, and aircraft have been deployed,” the report read. Fires are currently being contained at two fuel infrastructure facilities in the Brovary district and at two warehouse buildings in the Boryspil district. DSNS aircraft are assisting with firefighting operations. During air-raid alerts, emergency units and equipment move to safe locations. Work resumes immediately after the alerts end. Ukraine’s Air Force initially warned of ballistic missiles approaching Kyiv from the north, with successive missile threats reported as explosions shook the capital. “Explosions in the capital. Kyiv is under ballistic attack,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram, urging residents to remain in shelters. The first reported impacts were in the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts. Klitschko said a strike hit an area of non-residential development in Sviatoshynskyi, while non-residential buildings were burning in Darnytskyi. He warned at the time that more missiles were still heading toward the capital. In the Solomianskyi district, debris fell near a five-story residential building, blowing out windows and starting a fire. A children’s hospital was also damaged, with windows shattered and vehicles burning on its grounds, Klitschko said. The scale of the destruction grew as emergency crews moved through the district. Klitschko said the upper floors of a nine-story residential building in Solomianskyi were destroyed and caught fire. At another residential building, residents were trapped inside as emergency services rushed to the scene. KMVA also reported that a school building in Solomianskyi was damaged and that people were trapped inside its shelter. Emergency services were dispatched to the site. In Sviatoshynskyi, warehouse buildings caught fire and a non-residential structure was destroyed. Authorities earlier said people could be trapped beneath the rubble. The attack also disrupted electricity supplies. Klitschko said parts of the Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts were left without power, with energy crews working to determine the cause. The assault did not end with the initial ballistic strikes. Ukraine’s Air Force later tracked Russian Kalibr cruise missiles as they moved north across Ukraine. At around 1:30 a.m. Kyiv time, the Air Force reported Kalibr missiles near Kaharlyk in the Kyiv region heading toward the capital, followed minutes later by an urgent warning for Kyiv residents to take shelter as the missiles approached from the south. Russia also deployed jet-powered drones during the continuing attack. The Air Force later reported a jet-powered UAV moving from the Chernihiv region toward Kyiv. Shortly after midnight, additional jet-powered drones were detected over central Poltava region moving west toward the Cherkasy and Kyiv regions. The combination of ballistic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and jet-powered drones kept Kyiv under prolonged aerial threat as emergency crews worked at strike sites across the city. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian cities, residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure with missiles and drones. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, while hospitals and other medical facilities receive specific protection. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians or civilian objects constitutes a war crime. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.