Yasin Gungor and Burc Eruygur
16 April 2026•Update: 16 April 2026
- Russia says it launched strike over past 24 hours on defense industry facilities involved in production of cruise missiles, drones, as well as Ukraine's energy sector
At least 16 people were killed and 108 others injured in overnight Russian airstrikes targeting Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, local authorities said Thursday.
In an initial statement on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that two people were killed and 18 others injured in the attack, which hit the Desnianskyi, Dniprovskyi, Obolonskyi and Podilskyi districts.
According to Klitschko, the strikes caused widespread damage to residential areas, with rocket fragments hitting the sixth floor of a 16-story building and another strike recorded on a non-residential building in the Podilskyi district.
He later updated the death toll in the capital to four and said 45 people were injured, including 26 who were hospitalized.
In Odesa, Governor Oleh Kiper said nine people were killed and 23 others injured following drone and missile strikes on the southwestern region’s administrative center.
Kiper said port, critical and residential infrastructure were damaged, with fires breaking out at some facilities. He added that the facades and windows of at least three high-rise buildings were destroyed, while a dormitory and nearby structures were also damaged.
"The injured are being provided with all necessary medical assistance. Search and rescue operations and liquidation of the consequences are ongoing," Kiper added.
He also reported another strike in the morning, saying three people were injured and that a fire broke out in a Nauru-flagged cargo ship, which was later extinguished.
Separately, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the Odesa City Military Administration, said the number of those injured in the overnight attack rose to 26.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said three people were killed and 34 others injured, adding that strikes damaged office and administrative buildings, residential structures and a factory in the city of Dnipro.
Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on US social media platform X: "There can be no normalization of Russia as it is today. Pressure on Russia must work. And it is important to fulfill every promise of assistance to Ukraine on time."
Zelenskyy said many political commitments by Ukraine’s partners have been announced but not yet implemented, including within the Ramstein format and on a bilateral basis.
"I have instructed the Commander of the Air Forces to contact those partners who earlier committed to providing missiles for Patriot and other systems," Zelenskyy went on to say, accusing Russia of "betting on war."
The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defenses shot down 636 of 659 drones and 31 of 44 missiles launched by Russia overnight.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a later statement that its forces launched a "massive" strike on defense industry facilities involved in the production of cruise missiles and drones, as well as Ukraine's energy sector, over the past 24 hours.
"The strike's objectives were achieved, and all designated targets were hit," it added.
