Night attack on Kyiv: three dead, dozens injured, and a city that stood firm again – October 26, 2025

The night of October 26, 2025, became one of the most difficult for Kyiv in recent months. The city endured a massive drone attack, resulting in casualties, injured children, and destroyed residential buildings. Russia launched more than a hundred drones, many of which were aimed specifically at the capital of Ukraine. Despite the work of air defense, casualties could not be avoided.

According to official data, three people died, among them a 19-year-old girl and her 46-year-old mother.

More than thirty people were injured, seven of them children. Among the injured are a nine-year-old girl with lacerations, a fifteen-year-old teenager with burns, and a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl with multiple shrapnel injuries. For some families, this night ended with the complete loss of their homes: apartments burned to the ground, belongings turned into charred ashes.

Fires and destruction in residential areas

The main blow fell on the Desnianskyi district. One of the nine-story buildings caught fire after being hit by drone debris. The fire engulfed several floors in a row — from the second to the seventh. People woke up to explosions, smoke, and the cries of neighbors.
In the Obolonskyi district, the situation was slightly better: fragments of a drone hit a 16-story building, but the structure held, and there were no serious injuries.

Firefighters and rescuers worked all night. The fire in the Desnianskyi district was finally extinguished only by five in the morning. Many residents could not leave the entrances — the corridors were filled with thick smoke.
“It was impossible to get out, there was nothing to breathe,” said a resident of one of the damaged houses. Her apartment survived, but her nephew’s home was completely burned: the man, his wife, and two children miraculously got out. The woman recalls hearing pops and feeling the heat through the walls, then waiting for hours for the firefighters to be able to enter.

Emotions and fear familiar to every Kyiv resident

Residents living in the affected areas say that the sound of sirens and explosions has long become part of everyday life. But it is impossible to get used to such nights. People hide in corridors, bathrooms, on stairwells, keeping documents and water ready.
This time it all started around midnight. First, the hum of drone engines, then flashes, crashes. On social networks, dozens of videos — glowing trails in the sky, debris falling into yards.
Children cry, parents try not to show fear. “The main thing is that it’s not us,” says a resident of Troieshchyna, whose bedroom window shattered from the shockwave.

President of Ukraine: “Every strike by Russia is an attempt to destroy normal life”

In the morning, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians. His words sounded both as consolation and as a warning. He confirmed: Russia launched more than 100 strike drones against Ukraine, damaging high-rise buildings in several districts of Kyiv.

The president expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and added that among the dozens of injured were children.

“Every strike by Russia is an attempt to cause as much harm as possible to ordinary life. This week, these are strikes on residential buildings, on our people, on children, on civilian infrastructure. These are the main targets for the Russians,” Zelensky said.

He reminded that in one week, Russia used almost 1200 strike drones, more than 1360 guided aerial bombs, and over 50 missiles of various types against Ukraine. These are not random episodes but systematic terror directed against the civilian population.

Kyiv holds on again

Despite the horrors of the night, the city woke up. At dawn, utility services were already clearing debris, medics were providing assistance, psychologists were working with children. Kyiv residents brought water, food, and clothing to affected neighbors.
Photos from the Desnianskyi district — ash, broken windows, charred balconies, toys on staircases. But nearby — volunteers, doctors, rescuers, military, ordinary residents. A symbol of a Ukrainian city that does not give up even after hundreds of strikes.

An elderly man whose apartment burned out said to a correspondent: “I survived Bucha, I will survive this too. The main thing is for the grandchildren to live.” In these words is the entire Kyiv character, forged by war, anxieties, but unwavering faith in returning to normal life.

Defense, diplomacy, and pressure on the aggressor

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine continues to defend itself “on the battlefield, in the sky, in diplomacy.”
According to him, there are already results of international pressure: the 19th EU sanctions package has been adopted, new US sanctions against Russian oil have been introduced.
However, the president is convinced — this is not enough:
“Additional tariff and sanction restrictions against Russia and all those who help it stay afloat are needed. Pressure will definitely work for peace.”

These words reflect the mood of the entire country: fatigue mixed with stubbornness, pain — with confidence that for every night with drones, there will come a morning where transport works again, children go to school, and people return to life.

Ukraine lives, no matter what

The attack on October 26 is not the first and, unfortunately, not the last. But each new night shows that Ukraine has learned to survive under fire while maintaining a human face.
Neighbors carry cats out of entrances, pass on medications, strangers open doors to those who have lost their homes.
A city that sleeps under sirens still lives, builds, writes poetry, opens cafes, and helps the front.

Amidst the debris, the silhouette of a country that refuses to be a victim is visible.
“We will not break,” said a woman whose apartment burned down. These words have become not just a phrase but the essence of today’s Kyiv.

The main thing is people

Today Kyiv breathed smoke and soot again, but along with this air, there is something else — perseverance. Every fire, every crack in the walls is a trace of war, but also a trace of survival.
Ukrainians continue to fight for the right to simply live — to raise children, to love, to watch the sunrise without fear.
And it is for this, as the president said, that the entire front stands — on the ground, in the air, and in diplomacy.