Adedokun Waliyu 
Russian bombardments killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region overnight, according to authorities.
The two countries have intensified long-range attacks in recent months, contributing to a rising civilian death toll on both sides in the war.
The large missile attack on Kyiv struck residential areas and warehouses, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
A medical facility and an educational institution were also damaged, the city’s military administration said.
Klitschko later said the death toll in the capital had risen to 12, with 33 people wounded.
An attack in the Brovary district of the wider Kyiv region also killed one man and wounded another, Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said. It was unclear whether that death was included in Klitschko’s tally.
“One industrial facility has been damaged. All relevant services are on site, working to extinguish the fire,” Tkachenko said.
Ukraine’s air force had earlier warned of Russian Kalibr missiles in the vicinity of the village of Kagarlyk in the Kyiv region, heading toward the capital.
The attacks also prompted security responses in neighbouring NATO member states.
Poland’s military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences to protect its airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine.
Romania’s defence ministry said radar systems detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border overnight. This prompted the scrambling of two Spanish fighter jets deployed on NATO missions and a Romanian air force helicopter.
The Romanian ministry said a drone entered the country’s airspace near Galati before crashing in an unpopulated area in Tulcea County.
Russia also reported a large Ukrainian drone attack.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 250 drones had flown toward the Moscow region between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with most destroyed at a significant distance from the capital.
“Twenty-eight drones were destroyed in the Moscow region,” Sobyanin said.
While Kyiv has faced near-nightly attacks, Ukraine has also intensified retaliatory strikes against Russia in recent months, partly in an effort to pressure Moscow into returning to negotiations aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
