Russia attacks Ukraine with one of the largest aerial assaults of the war, killing four and injuring dozens

By Victoria Butenko, Kosta Gak, Chris Lau, Tim Lister, CNN

Kyiv (CNN) — Russia fired more than 600 drones and missiles at targets across Ukraine in the early hours of Sunday morning – one of the largest barrages of the war.

At least four people were killed in Kyiv during the overnight attacks, according to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky. Local officials said 42 people were injured in the capital and surrounding region, and 31 in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. Drones were still being shot down over the Ukrainian capital on Sunday morning.

The barrage was the third largest reported by the Ukrainian air force since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

The air force said Russia fired 595 drones and 48 missiles, including two ballistic missiles and powerful cruise missiles. It said air defenses had shot down or suppressed 43 cruise missiles and the vast majority of drones.

Ukraine has recently received a Patriot missile defense system from Israel, according to Zelensky, and is expecting the delivery of two more from Germany this year. The Patriot batteries are critical for its air defenses.

“This vile attack took place practically as the UN General Assembly week was concluding, and this is exactly how Russia declares its real position,” Zelensky said.

Amid the bombardment, Poland scrambled fighter jets in its airspace early Sunday, its armed forces said. Polish forces were already on alert after recent Russian drone incursions over its territory.

“These measures are preventive in nature and are aimed at securing the airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened areas,” Poland’s army said.

The Russian drone and missile attacks triggered air raid alerts across Ukraine.

A haze of smoke from explosions could be seen lingering over the capital on Sunday morning, photos from a CNN producer showed, with the Russian attacks continuing as residents walked their dogs and ran their morning errands.

Residential buildings and infrastructure were struck, said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a Telegram post. He called the Russian attacks a “war against civilians.”

A 12-year-old girl was among those killed in Kyiv, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration.

Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor, said in a Telegram post that fallen debris partially damaged a five-story building in the city. Zelensky said the building of the Cardiology Institute in the capital was damaged. Two people were killed at the site.

A recent spate of suspected Russian incursions upon European nations’ airspace has frayed nerves on the continent, with Poland and Estonia pushing other NATO members to vow to meet such crossings with force.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any aggression against Moscow would meet a “decisive response,” speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, hours before Russia launched its latest air attacks on Ukraine.

Lavrov said Russia has been accused of planning to attack NATO and European Union countries, but that President Vladimir Putin has “repeatedly debunked these provocations.”

“Russia has never had and does not have any such intentions,” said Lavrov.

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