Russia bombards Kyiv in deadliest strike this year, killing at least 27 people

Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine's capital Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, killing at least 27 people, wounding scores more and damaging around 130 buildings in the deadliest attack on the capital this year.

Multiple explosions shook central Kyiv and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations. Huge columns of smoke filled the skyline.

The death toll climbed to 27 after an injured person died in hospital, and 91 others were injured, the head of the capital's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on Telegram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who cut short his visit to Ireland and rushed home, visited a site on the city's left bank where a nine-story residential building was half destroyed. He blamed the destruction in part on a failure of allies to deliver promised air defenses.

"If our partners had delivered on their promises in a timely manner, I think we could have saved more homes and lives today," said Zelenskyy. "All we ask of our partners is simply to do what we've agreed on. We're not even asking for more."

Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Yuri Ihnat, the Air Force spokesperson, said the number of ballistic missiles was unusually high and the interception rate for them was low.

The Russian Defense Ministry, in a Telegram post, said its "massive attack" using long-range, high-precision air-, land- and sea-launched weapons and drones hit military and energy facilities, as well as airports in Kyiv and other locations.

Moscow said the attacks were retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia. Kyiv, which has stepped up strikes in recent weeks on Russia's domestic fuel supply, said it had hit an oil refinery overnight in the Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod, where the governor reported one person killed in a strike on an industrial facility.

The Kremlin said Russian military commanders had briefed President Vladimir Putin about the Russian attacks, adding that Moscow would continue to increase pressure on Ukraine to achieve the aims of its special military operation.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a day of mourning in Kyiv for Friday.

(With input from Reuters)