---
title: "Zelensky: Russians calculated the night attack on Kyiv for maximum damage — ballistic, cruise missiles and 'Shaheds'"
description: "Zelensky stated that the Russian night attack on Kyiv was of a combined nature and calculated for maximum damage: ballistic, cruise and anti-ship missiles, and 'Shaheds'. Killed and injured have been reported."
date: 2026-09-08T06:56:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-night-attack-on-kyiv-combined-strike
tags: [kyiv-attack, russia-ukraine-war, air-defense, zelensky, drone-strike]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zelensky: Russians calculated the night attack on Kyiv for maximum damage — ballistic, cruise missiles and 'Shaheds'

![Firefighters extinguish flames and clear debris after a night missile and drone strike on a building in Kyiv](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/08/zelensky-nochnaya-ataka-na-kiev-kombinirovannyj-udar/zelensky-nochnaya-ataka-na-kiev-kombinirovannyj-udar-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Zelensky called the night attack on Kyiv combined: ballistic, cruise and anti-ship missiles, and 'Shaheds'.
- According to preliminary data, two people died, ten were injured, and 13 were saved; 14+ high-rise buildings and social facilities in seven districts were damaged.
- Strikes have also been recorded in the Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
- The night strike fits into a wave of attacks on 1–2 September, including a strike on a university in Kyiv and the destruction of trucks in the Boryspil district.

Work to eliminate the aftermath of a massive Russian strike continues through the night in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as in a number of other regions of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the attack was of a combined nature and was designed to cause as much damage as possible to human lives and civilian infrastructure. Significant damage to residential buildings and other facilities has been recorded in the capital, and emergency services are working at several addresses simultaneously.

### Combined nature of the strike

In his address, the President of Ukraine listed the types of weapons used during the night operation: "The attack was complex, one that the Russians were trying to deliberately calculate for as much harm to life as possible: ballistic, cruise and anti-ship missiles, and reactive 'Shaheds'." According to him, it is precisely the combination of ballistic and cruise missiles with the massive use of drones that makes such strikes particularly dangerous for air defense systems and for the population.

### Casualties and destruction in the capital

As of the time the reports were published, ten people were known to be injured; all who need it are receiving medical care. Rescuers from the State Emergency Service managed to save thirteen people, two of whom died. The aftermath of the night strike has been recorded in seven districts of Kyiv: at least 14 high-rise buildings were damaged, along with a school, a polyclinic, a supermarket and a gas station. The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case on the grounds of a war crime.

### Strikes on other regions

In the Kyiv region, according to the President, the occupiers struck critical infrastructure facilities. In the Odesa region, an ordinary market was hit. In Kharkiv, two people were injured and an apartment building was damaged. In the morning, a locomotive of the Kyiv — Sumy train was attacked at a railway station in the Sumy region, with no casualties; the evacuation of people is ongoing. Strikes on Zaporizhzhia and the Dnipro region have also been recorded.

### Wave of attacks: 1 and 2 September

The night strike comes against the backdrop of an ongoing wave of shelling: on 1 September Kyiv experienced an even larger-scale attack, during which, according to reports, there were many killed and injured, and homes and enterprises were damaged. On 2 September a Russian drone hit a university in Kyiv — at the time of the attack, about 160 students were in a shelter; significant destruction has been recorded at the National University of Food Technologies. The day before, in the Boryspil district, drones destroyed seven trucks and hit one logistics complex twice.

### Contradictory data

The materials presented contain inconsistencies that are important to take into account. First, the exact date of the night strike under discussion is not explicitly fixed in the original text: it is described as current, while 1 September is mentioned as an "even larger-scale" attack, and 2 September as the day of the strike on the university, which blurs the chronology. Second, the casualty figures differ depending on the event: for the night strike, at the time of the report, two killed and ten injured were named, whereas for the 1 September attack, sources speak of "many killed and injured." These data relate to different episodes and are not summed up, but at the time of publication all figures are preliminary and may be refined.

Concluding his address, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the partners who define aid to Ukraine in the form of air defense systems as a priority: "This directly means saving people's lives."

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Maximum casualties and destruction: Zelensky spoke of Russia's plan during the attack on Kyiv](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/maksimum-zhertv-i-ruynuvan-zelenskiy-rozpoviv-1788850314.html) - Первичный источник основного текста: цитата Зеленского о комбинированном характере удара и перечне вооружения.
- [Russian drone strike on a university in Kyiv: 160 students were in a shelter during the attack](https://ura-inform.com/proisshestviya-ru/2026/09/02/udar-rossijskogo-drona-po-universitetu-v-kieve-160-studentov-nahodilis-v-ukrytii-vo-vremya-ataki/) - Событие 2 сентября: удар дрона по университету, около 160 студентов в укрытии.
- ["Significant destruction": Russia struck the National University of Food ...](https://24tv.ua/education/ru/ataka-na-kiev-segodnja-2-sentjabrja-rossijane-atakovali-nacionalnyj-universitet-pishhevyh-tehnologij_n3134508) - Событие 2 сентября: значительные разрушения у Национального университета пищевых технологий.
- [Russians massively attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones: many killed and injured](https://www.unian.net/war/ataka-na-kiev-1-sentyabrya-mnogo-pogibshih-i-ranenyh-povrezhdeny-doma-i-predpriyatiya-novosti-kieva-13486380.html) - Контекст атаки 1 сентября: массированный удар баллистикой и дронами, много погибших и пострадавших, повреждены дома и предприятия.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: According to Zelensky, what weapons were used in the night attack on Kyiv?
**A:** The President described the combined nature of the strike: ballistic, cruise and anti-ship missiles, as well as reactive 'Shaheds'.

### Q: How many people were injured and killed according to preliminary data?
**A:** At the time of the report, ten people were known to be injured, two died, and rescuers saved thirteen people. The figures are preliminary.

### Q: What facilities in Kyiv were damaged?
**A:** The aftermath has been recorded in seven districts: at least 14 high-rise buildings, a school, a polyclinic, a supermarket and a gas station. A criminal case has been opened on the grounds of a war crime.

### Q: Were there strikes on other regions?
**A:** Yes: in the Kyiv region critical infrastructure was hit, in the Odesa region a market, in Kharkiv an apartment building was damaged (two injured), in the Sumy region a locomotive of the Kyiv — Sumy train was attacked, and there were also strikes on Zaporizhzhia and the Dnipro region.