On Sept. 7, 2025, Russia unleashed 800+ drones and missiles on Ukraine, killing 4 and injuring dozens. Strikes hit Kyiv, Odesa, and more, targeting civilians and power grids in a night of terror
Kyiv — In the night of September 7, 2025, Russia unleashed one of the largest attacks on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, launching a record number — over 800 — Shahed-type kamikaze drones and decoy drones, along with 13 missiles of various types. This combined strike, aimed at civilian infrastructure, energy facilities, and residential areas, claimed the lives of at least four Ukrainians, injured more than 30, and left thousands without electricity in several regions. The assault, lasting over 11 hours, highlighted Russia’s growing capabilities in producing cheap drones and served as yet another act of terror designed to break the will of the Ukrainian people.
This operation, according to the Ukrainian Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), as reported by DROBRO, involved 805 strike UAVs “Shahed” and decoy drones launched from the directions of Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo, Oryol, Shatalovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Additionally, the Russians used nine Kalibr cruise missiles “Iskander-K” and four ballistic “Iskander-M”/KN-23 missiles, fired from temporarily occupied Crimea and Bryansk Oblast. Under attack were Kyiv and its agglomeration, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Kremenchuk, Kharkiv, Starokostiantyniv, and other settlements. Ukraine’s air defense shot down or electronically jammed over 700 targets, but hits still occurred — and they proved deadly.
Russia’s Massive Drone Attack on Ukraine Kills 4 (Foto, Video)https://t.co/WfZhWMF9l6 pic.twitter.com/36r5KEvfLD
— Дрогобич чиНа ❗️ DroBro7/24 (@DroBro10) September 7, 2025
Kyiv: A Night of Horror and Heroism
In Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the attack began at 6:15 p.m. and lasted until morning, turning the night into a hell of explosions and sirens. According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, the Cabinet of Ministers building in the Pechersk district caught fire — a symbol of power that the Russians likely chose for psychological pressure. In the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts, at least six apartment buildings were damaged, including a four-story residential house where drone fragments pierced walls and roofs. The tragedy unfolded in Darnytskyi: two people — a one-year-old child and her mother — died from a direct hit, while another 18 were injured, including children. “This is not a war against the army; this is terror against families, against Ukraine’s future,” wrote Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram, describing how rescuers from the State Emergency Service (DSNS) pulled people from the rubble until dawn.
“This is not a war against the army; this is terror against families, against Ukraine’s future,” wrote Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram.
Russia’s Massive Drone Attack on Ukraine Kills 4 (Foto, Video)https://t.co/WfZhWMF9l6 pic.twitter.com/36r5KEvfLD
— Дрогобич чиНа ❗️ DroBro7/24 (@DroBro10) September 7, 2025
Odesa and Kryvyi Rih: Strikes on the Heart of Cities
Odesa, the pearl of the Black Sea, also suffered from the nighttime nightmare. Three people were injured, apartment buildings, the Sports Palace, and warehouses in the port area were on fire. Local officials reported fires that threatened to spread to residential neighborhoods, while debris from downed drones sowed chaos in the city center. In Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, a business, an administrative building, and apartment blocks were damaged; three men were injured, one in critical condition, and a 54-year-old man died in the region from shrapnel. “The Russians are striking at Ukraine’s heart, but we will not break,” said Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration head Serhiy Lysak, emphasizing that the attack paralyzed local services.
“The Russians are striking at Ukraine’s heart, but we will not break,” said Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration head Serhiy Lysak.
Across Ukraine: Chaos and Resilience
In Sumy Oblast, one person was killed, including a child among the injured. In the Kremenchuk district of Poltava Oblast, a business and the bridge over the Dnipro were damaged, leading to train delays and transport disruptions. Fires were reported at energy facilities in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, leaving thousands of households without power. Overall, according to preliminary data from the State Emergency Service, the attack caused over 20 fires, infrastructure damage in 10 regions, and the evacuation of hundreds of people. Ukraine’s energy system, which has already endured waves of attacks in 2022–2024, is again under threat: Ukrenergo announced planned outages to stabilize the grid.
Strategy of Exhaustion: Why Russia Intensified the Strikes
This attack was no accident. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington note that Russia has significantly ramped up Shahed production — from 200 per week in September 2024 to over 1,000 in 2025, using Iranian technology and its own factories.
“Moscow is employing a strategy of attrition: cheap drones overload Ukraine’s air defense, allowing missiles to reach targets,” writes CSIS in its report, noting that such strikes coincide with U.S. diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, has repeatedly warned Moscow about oil sanctions, but the attacks continue.
“Russia ignores calls for peace, choosing ballistics over the negotiation table,” Zelenskyy stated on Telegram, urging allies to increase pressure: “The world sees that silence in Moscow is not peace, but preparation for new terror.”
International Reaction: Words and Actions
The international community responded harshly. EU Ambassador to Kyiv Katarina Mathernova called the attack “Moscow’s response to peace efforts,” while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed solidarity: “The EU will not be intimidated. Russia must stop attacks on civilians immediately.” NATO scrambled fighters in Poland for interception, and in the UK, the Prime Minister promised new sanctions. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International classify strikes on housing and energy as war crimes, demanding an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Ukrainian Unbreakability
For Ukrainians, this night is more than statistics. In Kyiv, the mother and infant killed in Darnytskyi became symbols of cruelty that disregards “military targets.” DSNS rescuers, risking their lives, extinguished fires under shelling, while volunteers are already collecting aid for the victims.
“We will stand firm because we have each other,” writes a journalist from Odesa on social media, where sirens are still sounding.
Ukraine, despite fatigue from 3.5 years of war, continues to fight — and the world must respond not with words, but with actions. Otherwise, Moscow’s terror will become the norm, not the exception.