A Russian strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least 18 people and injured around 60 others, just one day before NATO leaders gather for a crucial summit in Ankara.

According to AFP, reported by Channels Television, Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 attack drones overnight, targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas. Ukrainian authorities said apartment buildings were among the sites hit, with a missile tearing through a multi-storey residential block and leaving rescuers searching for survivors beneath the rubble.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO allies to take “strong decisions” to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences, saying the country urgently needs more interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot systems to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.

“It is critically important that the world, first and foremost the United States and our European partners, come out of the NATO summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defence,” Zelensky said.

The attack came less than a week after another Russian bombardment of Kyiv killed more than 30 people, increasing pressure on Ukraine’s Western allies to provide additional military support.

The European Union also backed calls for increased air defence assistance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the latest attack demonstrated Ukraine’s urgent need for more defensive capabilities, with the issue expected to feature prominently during the NATO summit.

Russia’s defence ministry said the operation was a “massive strike” aimed at military-industrial facilities as well as fuel and energy infrastructure across several Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian officials, however, said around 30 residential buildings in Kyiv were damaged.

Residents described scenes of destruction as explosions shattered windows and damaged homes. One local, Oleksandr Bakhlukov, said powerful blasts during the early hours destroyed every window in his apartment. Another resident, Anna Misko, said she and her child survived after taking shelter on the ground floor before a missile struck the upper levels of their building.

Meanwhile, Russia said it intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones overnight, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claiming several waves of drones had been heading towards the Russian capital.

The latest escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to end the more than four-year war remain stalled. The White House confirmed that US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Zelensky during the NATO summit to discuss renewed efforts to end the conflict before also engaging with Russian President Vladimir Putin.