At least fifteen people were killed during a wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine this Friday and over night into Saturday, including a 'massive' assault involving missiles and drones near the capital.
Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signalled Kyiv's openness to a potential Easter truce. The holiday is celebrated on 12 April in Ukraine and Russia.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine is preparing for a shift in Russian aerial tactics, with intelligence indicating that future attacks will move beyond energy infrastructure.
“The Kyiv region is once again under a massive Russian missile and drone attack,” said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional military administration, in a Telegram post on Friday.
Kalashnyk said one person died and at least eight others were wounded in strikes on three of Kyiv’s satellite towns — Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv. Earlier in the week, residents of Bucha marked the fourth anniversary of atrocities committed in the town by Russia's invading forces.
Another person was killed in Ukraine's northern Sumy region after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck an apartment block, local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov reported. Authorities in the Kherson, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions also reported casualties from Friday's attacks.
During continuing air raids over night, five people were killed in Nikopol, west of Zaporizhzhia, local authorities reported.
Ukrainian officials highlighted what they said were increased daytime attacks by Russia, which they said could lead to more civilian deaths. For months, Moscow has pummelled Ukraine with night time missile and drone strikes that could involve hundreds of drones at a time.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on X that “almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles” attacked Ukraine overnight.
“This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine’s Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks,” Sybiha said.
Kyiv floats an Easter ceasefire
Zelenskyy on Thursday signalled Kyiv's continued openness to a potential truce on Easter, which falls next week according to the Julian calendar followed by Orthodox churches in Ukraine and Russia.
Zelenskyy told reporters that the proposal had been communicated to Moscow through US channels. He added that the Kremlin's response remains unclear.
Zelenskyy has previously offered a ceasefire for the Easter period — but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow wants a lasting peace settlement, not a temporary truce.
President Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.
Ukrainian drones target Russia
Russia's Defence Ministry said 192 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea.
Two people were hospitalised on Friday following a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Leningrad region, over 1,100 kilometres from the border, regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko reported, who added that the drones also set fire to an “unoccupied” building within the Morozov industrial zone.
The settlement of Morozov houses a state-owned plant that makes explosives and components for ammunition, including solid fuel used in Topol-M missile systems. The plant was put under US, EU and other Western sanctions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Twelve people, including at least three Russian soldiers, were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike late Thursday on Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.
Four drones were downed during the night on the approach to Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported Friday. He did not reference any casualties or damage.
