A major Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital killed at least eight people overnight, including seven workers at a railway depot, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

The bombardment targeted Kyiv and surrounding areas as children prepared to return to school following summer holidays, and as authorities strengthened security measures after weeks of intensified Russian strikes on the capital.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed eight deaths and five injuries, including two children, from the overnight assault which involved ballistic missiles and drones.

Railway depot destroyed

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chief executive of Ukrainian Railways, said a missile struck a railway depot and other rail facilities in Kyiv.

“The ballistic strike took the lives of seven people, six of whom were our employees,” he said, adding that another railway worker was hospitalised.

Pertsovskyi described the damage as extensive, with a workshop completely destroyed and fires continuing to burn at several sites.

Regional officials reported one additional death in strikes on Boryspil, east of Kyiv.

Russia claims military targets hit

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces carried out a “massive strike” using long-range weapons and attack drones.

The ministry claimed the attack targeted military-industrial facilities and fuel and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and the surrounding region. It also said strikes hit infrastructure in the southern Odesa region and the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk.

Kyiv regional military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said the region came under a massive attack by Russian missiles and strike drones overnight.

AFP journalists in the capital heard around a dozen loud explosions and saw flashes in the sky early Tuesday, moments after the air force warned of incoming ballistic missiles.

School return amid heightened security

Ukrainian children returned to school on Tuesday, with the Kyiv regional military administration warning against large public gatherings in high-risk areas.

The Ukrainian air force urged residents to remain in shelters, saying the threat of ballistic weapons and other attacks against Kyiv and the region remained in effect.

Kyiv and surrounding areas have faced sustained Russian drone attacks in recent weeks, with jet-powered drones adding to the threat and triggering up to a dozen air-raid alerts daily.

A weekend attack on an ammunition depot killed 38 people in the capital’s suburbs.

Both sides have escalated long-range strikes in recent months, targeting infrastructure including warehouses, businesses, oil and port facilities, and ships, leading to increased civilian casualties.

Ukraine faces a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly US-made Patriot systems used to counter ballistic threats.

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