Explosions heard in multiple cities as Russia launches missiles, drones towards Ukraine

Prefer on Google by Dmytro Basmat Illustrative image: A missile launched from Russia's Belgorod Oblast flies toward Kharkiv, Ukraine, amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Vadym Bielikov/AFP) Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Russia launched its latest large-scale attack on Ukraine overnight on April 25, striking multiple cities with missile and drones, officials reported. Multiple explosions were heard in the cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro around 3:30 a.m. local time amid reports that Russia had launched multiple ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones targeting regions across the country. Ukraine's Air Force warned of Russian drone swarms targeting multiple regions overnight, including Kyiv Oblast. Air raid alerts were declared for all regions of the country around 3:45 a.m. amid the ballistic missile threat. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terehov reported that missile strike landed near a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Oleksandr Hanzha also reported that a four-storey building had been struck in the city of Dnipro amid the attack. No information was immediately available on the extent of the damage caused or on any casualties. Russia regularly strikes Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings and energy infrastructure , as it continues to wage its war. In Moscow's most recent large-scale attack on Ukraine on April 16, Russia launched a total of 19 ballistic missiles, 25 cruise missiles, and 659 drones in what marked one of the deadliest Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians of 2026. The attack killed at least 17 people and injuring over 100 in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Odesa.