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Russia has struck Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles in a major assault, with multiple regions struck, civilians dead and injured, and high-rise buildings damaged.
Ukraine faced one of the largest combined aerial assaults of the full-scale war overnight into Friday, as Russia launched 579 airborne weapons, including missiles and drones, targeting critical infrastructure and civilian areas across the country.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack began at 18:00 on April 2 and continued through the night, involving ballistic and cruise missiles as well as massed drone waves launched from Russian territory and occupied Crimea.
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In total, Ukrainian radar units detected 579 aerial threats: 10 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 25 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 542 Shahed-type and other drones.
By 14:00, Ukrainian forces said 541 targets had been shot down or suppressed, including 26 missiles and 515 drones. Despite this, 11 missiles and 27 drones struck 20 locations, with debris from intercepted UAVs falling across 22 additional sites.
Between Friday morning and afternoon, Russia launched drones and missiles against the Kyiv region, prompting air defense deployments. One person is currently confirmed dead as of 2:40 p.m. on Friday.
“Unfortunately, we have tragic consequences. As of now, one person is known to have died. There is also one person injured. All necessary assistance is being provided,” reported Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration (OVA).
At 12:27 p.m., the State Emergency Service (DSNS) said the Obukhiv, Bucha, and Fastiv districts were under attack.
According to the National Police, eight people were also injured across the Kyiv region following the attacks.
In the Bucha district, three high-rise buildings, three cars, a car dealership, and an educational institution were damaged. A 51-year-old man was killed, and one person was injured.
In the Fastiv district, two private houses, an administrative building, and a fence were damaged. Two people were injured.
A veterinary clinic was also hit, reportedly in Chabany, resulting in the deaths of about 20 animals.
In the Obukhiv district, five people were injured, including a minor. Eight vehicles and a high-rise building were damaged.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attacks, calling them Moscow’s response to Kyiv’s Easter ceasefire proposal.
“Almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles attacked Ukraine. At least one person was killed and others were injured. In Obukhiv, a drone smashed into a residential building,” Sybiha wrote on X.
“Terrorist Russia strikes in broad daylight deliberately – to maximize civilian casualties and damage. This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine’s Easter Ceasefire proposals – with brutal attacks,” he added.
Almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles attacked Ukraine. At least one person was killed and others injured.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 3, 2026
In Obukhiv, a drone smashed into a residential building. Terrorist Russia strikes in broad daylight deliberately—to maximise civilian casualties and damage.… pic.twitter.com/UovxLdW3Rp
During the same period, Russian troops also struck a shopping mall in the center of northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy, with casualties reported.
“The enemy targeted one of the shopping centers in the center of Sumy. As a result of the UAV strike, two people were initially injured. They were hospitalized. The building and windows were damaged,” said Serhiy Kryvosheyenko, the head of the Sumy OVA.
Later, Kryvosheyenko said the number of victims had increased to three. All injured are receiving medical care in hospitals.
In Kharkiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, fragments of a Russian drone fell, injuring five people and setting several cars on fire.
“In the Shevchenkivskyi district, fragments of a ‘shaheed’ fell – there are victims, and several cars are burning,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote.
He added that two of the injured were in critical condition.
Later, the head of the Kharkiv OVA, Oleh Synehubov, reported that a 60-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were injured in the attack.
At 12:18 p.m., Terekhov wrote that the total number of injured had increased to five.
In a subsequent update, Terekhov noted Friday’s attacks followed waves of attacks just a day prior.
“Terror against Kharkiv residents has been going on for the second day in a row. The current series of strikes has become perhaps the most massive in the entire time of the great war and definitely the heaviest since the beginning of the year,” he wrote.
“The enemy is hitting hard and in a combined manner: They are firing ballistic missiles and various drones at the city. Thirty-seven hits were recorded at eighteen locations,” he added.
Terekhov said Russia also used jet-powered drones against the city for the first time.
“Experts explain that thanks to the jet engine, such UAVs fly much faster. Accordingly, there is critically little time for air defense and for residents to descend into shelters,” he wrote, citing Kharkiv’s proximity to the Russian border.
Terekhov described the consequences as catastrophic, saying 25 residential high-rise buildings and three non-residential structures were damaged.
In central Ukraine’s Poltava, Vitaliy Dyakivnych, head of the local OVA, reported that Russian drones fell in the Myrhorod and Poltava districts in the morning, causing damage to private households and farms.
Later, Dyakivnych added that in the Poltava community, a Russian UAV fell in an open area. Its blast wave damaged a garage and the glazing of an apartment building, injuring one person.
“According to updated information, one person was injured. The man was hospitalized and is being provided with all necessary assistance,” Dyakivnych wrote.
Moscow also hit residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in central Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region.
One person was killed and five others were injured, according to Zhytomyr OVA Head Vitaliy Bunechko on Telegram. He added that search-and-rescue operations are ongoing.
“According to updated information, as a result of the enemy air attack in the northern Zhytomyr region, 18 buildings were destroyed, including 9 residential buildings. More than 100 residential buildings, over 55 utility structures, and 2 shops were damaged,” he wrote.
Julia is a Deputy Head of News and correspondent for Kyiv Post who has previously worked as a parliamentary editor, journalist, and news editor. She has specialized in covering the work of the Ukrainian parliament, government, and law enforcement agencies.
