Ukraine LIVE: Putin pummels Kyiv with missiles and drones as Russia exacts brutal revenge

Ukrainian forces repelled hundreds of Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, with 204 combat clashes recorded across multiple fronts, the Ukrainian General Staff has said

Russia launched 53 airstrikes, fired nearly 6,000 times, and deployed over 3,500 kamikaze drones in a sweeping escalation of aggression.

Heavy fighting was reported in the Pokrovsk, Novopavlivka, and Kharkiv directions, where Ukrainian troops successfully pushed back dozens of assaults.

Ukraine’s military struck 12 areas of enemy troop and equipment concentration, destroying tanks, air defence systems, artillery pieces, and three missile launchers. The General Staff reported that Russian losses totalled 1,160 personnel in a single day.

Air quality in the city of Ternopil has reportedly deteriorated following a major fire triggered by a Russian missile strike, with officials warning that harmful substances have exceeded safe levels.

Governor Volodymyr Nehoda said residents living near the impact zone should avoid going outside and keep their windows closed, especially families with children.

The Ternopil Regional Centre for Disease Control is continuing to monitor the situation and will release further results as testing progresses.

The warning was issued early in the morning after atmospheric measurements detected a spike in pollution. Authorities have not yet confirmed the source of the fire.

Referring to the attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's interior minister Ihor Klymenko said three emergency workers had been killed during the barrage.

Posting on X, he said: "This night, missiles and drones targeted civilian and critical infrastructure. Emergency services - the State Emergency Service and the police - responded to every call for help.

"Unfortunately, we have losses in the Ministry of Internal Affairs family again. In Kyiv, three State Emergency Service rescuers were killed while eliminating the consequences of enemy strikes. They worked under fire to help people.

"Another 9 emergency workers were injured. Some are serious, doctors are fighting for their lives. Also, 5 rescuers were injured while extinguishing a fire in the Ternopil region. All are receiving medical care. A low bow to our fallen heroes without weapons. Courageous, faithful to the Oath, dedicated to the cause of rescue. Speedy recovery to the wounded."

Putting the death toll at one fewer than Mayor Vitali Klitschko, he added: "In total, 3 people died in Ukraine this night as a result of the Russian attack, about 40 more were injured. The price of our resistance is life. But strength also lies in the people who hold the country together, risking their own lives."

A Ukrainian drone strike ignited a massive fire at an oil refinery in Engels, Saratov Oblast, overnight, reports the Kyiv Independent, with footage shared by residents showing flames engulfing the site.

The refinery, previously targeted by Kyiv, is believed to supply fuel to the Engels-2 airbase—home to Russia’s strategic Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers. Local officials said a residential building was also hit, though no casualties were reported.

Governor Roman Busargin confirmed a fire had broken out at an “industrial enterprise,” while emergency crews were dispatched to contain the damage.

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have intercepted 174 Ukrainian drones across 12 regions, including Russian-occupied Crimea.

In Chernihiv region, 80 miles to the north of Kyiv, a Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building, shattering windows and doors, according to regional military administration chief Dmytro Bryzhynskyi.

He added that explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the outskirts of the city.

Russian forces also launched a drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s Lviv region, in the west of the country, overnight, damaging an industrial site in the Drohobych district.

Governor Maksym Kozytskyi confirmed there were no casualties, praising air defences for repelling much of the assault.

Power lines were disrupted in several villages near Lviv, with emergency crews from Lvivoblenergo deployed to carry out repairs.

Despite the strike, all life support systems across the region remain fully operational.

Russia has pounded Ukraine with ballistic missiles and drones, with at least four killed in Kyiv, as Vladimir Putin made good on his vow to exact revenge for the weekend strikes on airfields in his country. Multiple explosions were heard Kyiv, where falling debris sparked fires across several districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming targets, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration.

Posting on Telegram, Mayor Vitali Klitschko later said four people were dead, adding: "Search and rescue operations are ongoing in several locations." Authorities reported damage in several districts, and rescue workers were responding at multiple locations. In Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story residential building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations were ongoing. Another fire broke out in a metal warehouse.

Th attack came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, in comments that were a remarkable contrast from his prediction that he could end the war within 24 hours of returning to office.