Russia fires deadliest airstrike in months, killing 18 in Ukraine 

Russia launched its deadliest strike of the year, killing at least 18 Ukrainians after it fired more than 700 drones and missiles at the war-torn country overnight.

The attack on Ukraine began just before midnight on Wednesday and carried into early Thursday, with nine deaths recorded in Odessa, five in Dnipro, and four in Kyiv, which included the killing of a 12-year-old boy.

“Today in Ukraine is another very hard day, really hard night – the day after a massive Russian attack,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement.

Firefighters work at the site of a recyclable materials warehouse hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Kyiv, Ukraine on April 16, 2026. REUTERS

“In just one night, there were nearly 300 attack drones, 19 ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles. … And this came after waves of “shaheds” had filled our skies just yesterday,” he added.

“Just ordinary people, children, civilians, killed by Russian madness.”

During the bombardments, Ukraine said it was able to intercept 31 missiles and 636 drones, but 12 rockets and 20 UAVs still managed to break through and rock 26 locations across the country.

Images of the blast showed the the Ukrainian capital, with black smoke billowing in the sky.

With rescue operations still underway and scores of people injured, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba warned that the death toll could rise even higher.

Rescuers and medical workers evacuate a resident from the apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released on April 16, 2026. via REUTERS A firefighter works at the site of a recyclable materials warehouse hit by a Russian missile strike attack on Kyiv, Ukraine April 16, 2026. REUTERS

More than 50 people were injured in Kyiv, with 23 wounded in Odessa and about 36 in Dnipro, according to regional officials.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, two people were injured by drone strikes, officials said.

“Such attacks cannot be normalized,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X.

“These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account.”

Zelensky, who has warned that his country is facing a shortage of Patriot air defense missiles, said the overnight attack proved that Moscow was still able to wage large-scale attacks more than four years into the war.

“Russia is betting on war, and that is exactly how the response should be – we must protect lives with all our might and press for peace with all our might as well,” he said.

Meanwhile in Russia, a major Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea port of Tuapse sparked a large fire in the city that’s home to one of Moscow’s large oil refineries.

The blast killed two people, including a 14-year-old girl, and left seven others injured, Russian officials said.

With Post Wires