KYIV – In the early hours of Saturday, Russia launched an assault on Ukraine’s capital using missiles and drones, resulting in one fatality and injuries to over 20 individuals, as reported by local authorities. This attack occurred just ahead of scheduled discussions between Ukraine and the United States.

Throughout the night, Kyiv was rocked by the sound of explosions as ballistic missiles and drones struck the city. The assault began before dawn and continued into the morning light.

This offensive comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday. Their discussions aim to address the ongoing conflict that has persisted for nearly four years, focusing on security assurances and territorial disputes in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

President Zelenskyy revealed on Telegram that Russia deployed close to 500 drones and 40 different types of missiles, primarily targeting Kyiv’s energy and civilian infrastructure. As a result, some areas are currently without electricity or heat.

Zelenskyy also posed a poignant question: “There have been many questions these days. Where is the Russian response to the proposals to end the war, which were made by the United States and the world?” He noted, “Russian representatives hold long talks, in reality the ‘Kinzal’ and ‘Shaheds’ (drones) speak for them.”

There were over 10 damaged residential buildings in the attack, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, in a post on Telegram. People were being evacuated from under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Two children were among those wounded in the attack, which affected seven locations across the city of Kyiv said the head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration Tymur Tkachenko in a statement on Telegram. A body was found under the rubble of one damaged building, said Klymenko.

A fire broke out in an 18-story residential building in the Dnipro district of the city, and emergency crews rushed to the scene to contain the flames.

A 24-story residential building in the Darnytsia district was also hit, Tkachenko said, and more fires broke out in the Obolonskyi and Holosiivsky districts.

In the wider Kyiv region, the strikes hit industrial and residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service. In the Vyshhorod area, emergency crews rescued one person found under the rubble of a destroyed house.