LONDON — A minimum of 16 individuals have been killed and one other 100 have been injured in Ukraine as Russia focused the nation with a “huge” drone and missile assault on Wednesday and into Thursday morning, Ukrainian officers mentioned.
Russia launched nearly 700 drones and 19 ballistic missiles, together with cruise missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned. Ukraine shot down about 636 drones and “some” of the missiles, he added, saying, “Sadly, not all.”
A firefighter works to extinguish a blaze at a recycling supplies website following a Russian strike in Kyiv on April 16, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Serhii Okunev/AFP by way of Getty Photos
A minimum of 16 individuals have been killed throughout Ukraine, officers mentioned. Zelenskyy mentioned at the very least 100 individuals had been reported wounded “as of now.”
“Tragically, there are fatalities in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro,” he mentioned in a social media publish. “Amongst these killed is a boy — he was 12 years previous. My condolences to the households and family members.”
Firefighters work subsequent to destroyed automobiles, on the website of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 16, 2026.
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Many of the missiles focused Kyiv, the capital, the president mentioned, however harm and deaths have been additionally reported throughout the nation. Some missiles or drones that made it via Ukraine’s defenses struck and broken residential buildings, Zelenskyy mentioned.
“One other night time has confirmed that Russia doesn’t deserve any easing of world coverage or lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “Russia is betting on conflict, and the response should be precisely that: we should defend lives with all obtainable means, and we should additionally apply stress for the sake of peace with the identical full pressure.”
Russian officers mentioned on Thursday that Ukraine launched its personal barrage of drones concentrating on a number of areas in Russia. Moscow mentioned its army downed greater than 200 drones. A minimum of one Ukrainian drone struck a port on Russia’s Black Beach, together with different coastal cities, the native governor mentioned.
