In the most intense assault of the year, Russia targeted Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles, resulting in at least 18 fatalities. The overnight barrage disrupted a brief Easter ceasefire and intensifies concerns about the ongoing conflict as peace talks remain stalled. Kyiv's air defenses have been stretched thin, with President Zelenskyy urgently appealing to allies for additional munitions to protect Ukrainian skies amid mounting destruction.
The attack caused widespread damage across several Ukrainian regions. In Kyiv, at least four people, including a 12-year-old child, were killed, and dozens were wounded as debris rained down on the city’s streets. A drone crash into an apartment building underscored the severity of the strikes. In Odesa, nine people lost their lives, with residential buildings and port infrastructure heavily damaged, including a civilian cargo vessel set ablaze. The Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions also reported multiple casualties. Ukraine’s air defense systems were challenged, intercepting only a portion of the 44 missiles and nearly 660 drones fired, leaving 26 targets hit and causing significant destruction nationwide.