A woman walks with a dog amid the debris of a damaged house after a Russian attack on a residential area in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Evgeny Maloletka/AP
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Evgeny Maloletka/AP
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an assault that lasted several hours from day into night, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 80 others in its largest airstrike in nearly two weeks, officials said Thursday.
Officials said Russia launched about 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, mainly targeting civilians. Since invading its neighbor more than four years ago, Moscow’s forces have attacked civilian areas almost daily, with regular attacks as well as sometimes large-scale attacks. The United Nations says more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the attacks.
The latest bombing comes in the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 48-hour visit to Germany, Norway and Italy this week with an urgent search for more air defense systems that can intercept Russian missiles. Ukraine fears the Iran war is depleting its stockpile of advanced U.S.-made systems it needs, and has argued against a temporary U.S. waiver of Russian oil sanctions, which Kiev says is helping finance the Kremlin’s war effort.
“Another night has proved that Russia is not entitled to any relaxation in global policy or lifting of sanctions,” Zelensky said on X.
He thanked Germany, Norway and Italy for new agreements this week on support of Ukraine’s air defense. He said officials were also working with the Netherlands on additional supplies.
At the same time, he said that some partner countries have not followed through on promises of military support.
“I have instructed the Air Force commander to contact partners who have previously committed to providing missiles for Patriot and other systems,” Zelensky said.
At least four people were killed in Kiev, including a 12-year-old child, while more than 50 others were injured, according to officials.
Tetyana Sokol, 54, of Kiev, said two missiles fell near her home and she hid with her dog in the hallway as lightning flashed through the night and the blast wave shattered windows.
“In the third attack everything broke down, everything flew away, we were shocked, we didn’t know where to run. I grabbed whatever came to hand and ran away with the dog,” she told The Associated Press. “I still don’t find any cats in the house, they got out somewhere I don’t even know. No windows, no nothing, the dog is still roaming around stressed.”
Nine people were killed and 23 injured in the southern port city of Odessa, three were killed and about three dozen injured in the central Dnipro region, and one person was killed in Zaporizhia in the south.
“Such attacks cannot be normalized. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held accountable,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Twitter.
The Ukrainian Air Force said air defense forces shot down or disabled 667 of the 703 incoming targets, including 636 Martyr-type drones and other uncrewed aerial vehicles.
It said 20 strike drones and 12 missiles attacked 26 locations.
