At least 12 people were killed and 21 others injured in Kyiv and the surrounding Kyiv Oblast overnight on September 1, Ukrainian authorities said, after Russia launched a large-scale barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones against the Ukrainian capital and other parts of the country.

Eight people were killed and eight wounded in Kyiv, while four people died and 13 others were injured in Kyiv Oblast, officials said.

Six of those killed in the capital were employees of Ukrainian Railways, who died when a ballistic missile struck a railway depot and other railway facilities, the company's chairman, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes, accusing Russia of deliberately planning attacks to inflict maximum damage on civilians and critical infrastructure. He said nearly 350 emergency workers were deployed to deal with the aftermath in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast.

Ukraine's Air Force said Kyiv and Odesa oblasts were among the main targets of the overnight assault. Russia launched ballistic and cruise missiles together with 218 drones, roughly one-third of them jet-powered.

Ukrainian air defenses said they intercepted or suppressed 199 incoming targets, including five ballistic missiles, five Kalibr cruise missiles, two S8000 Banderol missiles and 187 drones.

Nevertheless, Ukrainian authorities reported strikes at 28 locations across the country, while debris from intercepted weapons fell at another 10 sites.

The attack followed several days of sustained Russian drone assaults on Kyiv. By August 31, the capital had endured its fifth consecutive day of near-continuous drone attacks, keeping residents under repeated air-raid warnings.

Russian drone attacks resumed after nightfall on September 1, with Ukrainian air-defense units engaging incoming drones over Kyiv for a sixth consecutive day.

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported fires in several districts. A downed drone sparked a fire in Darnytskyi district, while a wooded area caught fire in Solomyanskyi district. Drone debris was also discovered at two locations in Holosiivskyi district.

A powerful explosion was heard in central Kyiv at around 10:17 p.m. local time. The air-raid alert was lifted shortly afterward, but further warnings were issued later in the night as Ukrainian authorities detected additional incoming missiles.

The heaviest loss of life was reported in Darnytskyi district, where seven people were killed at two locations, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.

Six of the victims were Ukrainian Railways employees. Pertsovskyi said a ballistic missile struck a railway depot and nearby facilities, killing the workers.

“Dozens managed to escape to shelters,” he said, adding that Ukrainian Railways was providing assistance to employees affected by the attack.

Emergency crews were deployed across the city to extinguish fires, search damaged buildings and assist those injured in the strikes.

The attacks caused further damage in residential areas on Tuesday morning.

Klitschko said a drone fell in an open area near a five-story apartment building in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district. In the Podilskyi district, a fire broke out on the 14th and 15th floors of a 16-story residential building, leaving three people injured.

In Boryspil, just outside Kyiv, a five-story residential building and an unspecified enterprise were damaged, according to Kyiv Oblast Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.

The latest barrage followed a wider wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine. Authorities said attacks in other regions during the previous 24 hours killed at least seven people and injured 45 others.

The continuing attacks have placed Kyiv's air defenses and emergency services under sustained pressure, while residents face repeated periods of sheltering and disruption.

The latest assault highlights the continuing intensity of Russia's long-range campaign against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, with missiles and drones repeatedly targeting population centers, transport facilities and other critical sites. (ILKHA)