Ukraine-Russia war live updates: Four dead and 20 injured as Kyiv bombarded by ballistic missiles

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia “targeted almost all of Ukraine” in a massive attack on the country which has injured almost 50 people so far.

The president said on social media: “Russia doesn’t change its stripes – another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine – Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. Some of the missiles and drones were shot down.

“I thank our warriors for their defense. But unfortunately, not all were intercepted. In total, over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles – including ballistic missiles – were used in today’s attack. 49 people were wounded.”

Russia has reported Ukrainian drone attacks on an industrial enterprise in the southern city of Engels.

Regional governor Roman Busargin said the attack on Friday caused a fire, but didn’t specify what kind of industrial site was targeted.

Busargin said a high-rise apartment block was also hit, but there were no casualties.

Video posted on social media, verified by Reuters, showed a fire burning fiercely emitting huge plumes of black smoke.

In January, a state of emergency was introduced in Engels after a Ukrainian drone strike hit an oil depot that serves a nearby base for Russian nuclear bomber planes, causing a fire that took days to put out.

Ukraine’s general staff said it struck Russian airfields in Saratov and Ryazan regions, in addition to fuel reservoirs, during an overnight attack on Friday. Engels is part of the Saratov region.

Kyiv has been bombarded with drones shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to respond to a massive Ukrainian attack in Russia.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram that Russia had launched ballistic missiles and drones into the war-torn country early on Friday, per CNN.

A Telegram post from the air force warned, “Several Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. They allegedly launched cruise missiles!”

CNN reported that Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City Military Administration, said that there were reports of fires in buildings across Kyiv, and that a high-rise in the Solomyansky district was damaged.

Ukraine’s general staff said it struck Russian airfields in Saratov and Ryazan regions, in addition to fuel reservoirs, during an overnight attack on Friday.

“The Ukrainian Defence Forces launched a preemptive strike. On the eve of the massive enemy attack, enemy airfields and other important military facilities were hit,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

It comes after Ukrainian attacks on Russian airfields sparked fury in Moscow, with Kyiv claiming that 41 bombers were destroyed in the stunning strikes.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on the US, Europe and other countries to ramp up pressure on Russia after it launched more than 400 drones and 40 missiles in attacks on Ukraine on Friday.

“If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively,” he wrote on X.

“In total, over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles – including ballistic missiles – were used in today’s attack. 49 people were wounded.

“Unfortunately, the number may increase – people are reaching out for help. As of now, three deaths have been confirmed – all of them were employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky added.

While Donald Trump appears ready to step back from immediate efforts towards peace in Ukraine, Kyiv and Moscow continue to trade blows.

On Thursday, Ukrainian forces launched an attack on Russia’s Byransk region, targeting a concentration of Russian troops and three missile launchers, the general staff said.

One Iskander missile launcher – the short-range ballistic missile system which Russia uses to strike military and infrastructure targets in Ukraine – was destroyed, the military said. Two others were seriously damaged.

The targeted united was part of Russia’s 26th Missile Brigade which attempted to fire on Ukrainian territory and likely aimed at Kyiv, the military added according to The Kyiv Independent.

“Thanks to effective reconnaissance and the coordinated efforts of the Armed Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine, the targets were successfully hit,” the General Staff said, adding that there were no civilian casualties.

Poland’s foreign minister has taken aim at Elon Musk amid his spectacular fallout with US president Donald Trump on social media.

Warsaw’s top diplomat Radoslaw Sikorski in March was embroiled in an extraordinarily public clash with Musk and US secretary of state Marco Rubio. He had suggested that Kyiv may need an alternative to the Starlink satellite service.

This prompted an angry Musk to tell Mr Sikorski to “be quiet, small man” amid a flurry of posts on his social media platform X.

After a public feud exploded between Trump and Musk on Thursday, Mr Sikorski took the chance to poke fun at the Tesla and SpaceX boss.

“See, big man, politics is harder than you thought,” he said in a post on X. Musk did not immediately respond to the post – arguably out of character for the business mogul who often tweets dozens of times per day.