Russia hits Kyiv with largest barrage yet as Russian general dies in HIMARS strike

Russia launched 539 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine overnight, in what Ukrainian officials say was the largest single air attack on Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The strikes injured at least 23 people, including 14 who were taken to hospital.

Damage from falling debris and direct hits was reported across the capital and multiple other regions.

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Russian state media claimed the intended target was Kyiv's Zhuliany Airport, where a US Patriot air defence system is believed to be based.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack involved Shahed drones and multiple ballistic missiles.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, 270 targets were intercepted, while another 208 drones were downed using electronic warfare systems.

Dozens more were brought down by newly deployed drone interceptors.

The air raid began shortly after reports emerged of a phone call between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump.

President Zelensky described the timing as deliberate, calling the strike "demonstrative" and "cynical".

The air raid alert lasted until 09:00, with Mr Zelensky describing it as a "harsh, sleepless night".

Russian strikes also hit Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and parts of Kyiv region.

In Odessa, a shell hit a nine-storey residential building, killing four people. Fire crews rescued more than 50 residents, including two children.

In Poltava, a strike on a military recruitment centre caused fires in both the building and a neighbouring residential block.

Casualties were reported, but full figures are still being confirmed.

Meanwhile, Russia has confirmed that Major General Mikhail Gudkov, deputy head of the Russian Navy, was killed in Kursk region on Wednesday.

According to the Defence Ministry, Maj Gen Gudkov died during "combat work" near the Ukrainian border.

Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian reports say he was killed by a Ukrainian HIMARS missile strike on a command post.

Gudkov, 42, was appointed deputy commander in March with responsibility for naval ground, artillery and missile units.

He was awarded Hero of Russia status last year.

He is one of the most senior Russian officers to be killed in action since the war began.

Mr Zelensky renewed calls for additional Patriot missile systems and interceptors, saying they are "real protectors of life."

He called for further international sanctions against Russia, warning that Moscow will not change its behaviour without "sustained and direct economic pressure."

Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 48 Ukrainian drones overnight.

In Rostov, a woman was killed by debris from a downed drone.

In a separate incident, Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted a military airfield and an industrial facility in Lipetsk.

PJSC Energia, one of the sites hit, is under Western sanctions for its role in producing dual-use components.