KYIV — Russia launched 315 drones at Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said was “one of the largest” attacks on the capital Kyiv, as officials said a maternity ward in the southern port city of Odesa had been hit.

Air raid sirens blared across Kyiv just after midnight, announcing an imminent Russian attack. What followed was a long and terrifying night.

CNN staff on the ground heard air defense systems working non-stop in the city center. Hiding in basements, public shelters and corridors and bathrooms – often the safest spots in their homes – Kyiv residents could hear and feel the loud thuds of explosions. Dozens of drones were heard flying over the city center over a period of about three hours, sometimes a few at a time. Their number was unusual: While Russia has significantly increased the scale and frequency of drone attacks in recent weeks, a handful at most would be heard in Kyiv during previous assaults.

Seven districts of the capital were hit by the Russian attacks and falling debris. High-rise buildings, homes, cars and warehouses were left burning, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, who said it was a “tough night for all of us.”

One person was killed, according to Tkachenko, while Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said four people were also wounded.

“Today was one of the largest attacks on Kyiv,” Zelensky said wrote on X. “Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace.”

Meanwhile, a separate wave of attacks hit the southern city of Odesa, where residents said they couldn’t remember a night of so many strikes.

At least two men were killed and nine people wounded in the port city, according to a Telegram post from the region’s Prosecutor’s Office. One of the Russian strikes hit a maternity ward of a hospital in the city, according to Andriy Yermak, the president’s chief of staff.

Video footage from Reuters showed a woman in hospital scrubs sweeping shards of broken glass from the maternity ward that was struck.

A 78-year-old Odesa resident, Violetta, who preferred to be identified by her first name only due to security concerns, told CNN it was “a terrible night.”

“My garage with my car is destroyed… We’ve had a terrible time. Thank God I’m not hurt. I heard the siren in time and ran into the hallway to hide. It was just in time, because the roof of my apartment collapsed,” she said, standing next to her car covered by piles of rubble.

“I heard other explosions in Odesa, but nothing compares to this, it’s so close. My neighbor, a boy, was wounded, his shoulder was cut by glass, and last night they took him to get stitches.

Lyudmila, 60, described the frightening loud bangs and scenes of glass and plaster flying everywhere when the drones hit.

“It’s very scary because it’s close by. Drones were flying around all the time, banging and banging. It was very scary, but in four years this is the first time we’ve been hit. It’s very hard mentally,” said Lyudmila, who also preferred to only use her first name.

Russia also launched two KN-23 ballistic missiles and five Iskander-K cruise missiles in the overnight attack, Ukraine’s Air Force said.

The overnight attacks follow Russia’s biggest drone strike on Ukraine on Monday, where Russia fired 479 UAVs in an overnight aerial assault, surpassing the highest number of drones Moscow has launched in a single day for the second consecutive weekend.

This story has been updated with the latest developments.

The-CNN-Wire
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