KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces carried out extensive missile and drone attacks on Friday targeting areas surrounding the nation’s capital, resulting in one death and eight injuries, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to express willingness for an Easter ceasefire. The Orthodox Easter holiday will be observed on April 12 in both nations.
A separate Russian bombing killed another individual Friday when it hit an apartment building in Ukraine’s northern region, local officials confirmed.
“The Kyiv region is once again under a massive Russian missile and drone attack,” Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional military administration, wrote in a Friday morning Telegram message.
Kalashnyk reported that the attacks targeted three communities near Kyiv — Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv — causing one fatality and injuring at least eight people. The strikes also hit a veterinary facility, killing approximately 20 animals, he noted.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated on X that “almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles” targeted Ukraine during the nighttime hours.
“This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine’s Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks,” Sybiha wrote.
On Thursday, President Zelenskyy indicated Kyiv remains willing to consider a temporary halt in fighting during Easter, which occurs next week under the Julian calendar used by Orthodox churches in both countries.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy explained that the ceasefire offer had been transmitted to Moscow via American diplomatic channels. He noted that the Kremlin’s position on the proposal remains unknown.
While Zelenskyy has previously proposed Easter ceasefires, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov stated earlier this week that Moscow seeks a permanent peace agreement rather than a temporary pause in hostilities.
Last Easter, President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral 30-hour cessation of fighting, though both nations later claimed the other violated the agreement.
In Ukraine’s northern Sumy region near the Russian frontier, one person was killed Friday when a Russian guided bomb hit residential buildings in Shostka, according to regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov. Three additional people required hospitalization, including a 29-year-old woman in serious condition.
Russian defense officials reported intercepting 192 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russia and occupied Crimean territory on Friday morning.
Two individuals were hospitalized Friday following Ukrainian drone strikes on the Leningrad region, located more than 1,100 kilometers from the border, regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko announced. The drones also ignited a fire at an “unoccupied” structure in the Morozov industrial area, he added.
The Morozov facility operates a government-owned factory producing explosives and ammunition components, including solid fuel for Topol-M missile systems. Western nations imposed sanctions on the plant following Russia’s comprehensive invasion of Ukraine.
Twelve people, including a minimum of three Russian military personnel, sustained injuries in a late Thursday Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Belgorod region, which shares a border with Ukraine, local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated. He separately reported seven people wounded when a drone struck a business facility in the area.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed Friday that four drones were destroyed during nighttime hours while approaching the capital. He made no mention of injuries or property damage.
