Russia carried out a massive attack on Ukraine on the morning of April 3. It used drones and cruise missiles. There are killed and injured.
Details
On April 3, air raid alerts were declared across all of Ukraine. Russian forces attacked central regions with drones. Some of them moved toward the Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia regions. After 10:00 a.m., Russian cruise missiles entered Ukraine’s airspace. Strategic bombers Tu-95MS launched them. A MiG-31K, which carries Kinzhal missiles, also took off, but there were no launches.
In the Kyiv region, Russia attacked Bila Tserkva, Vasylkiv, Ukrainka, Obukhiv, and other towns. Ukraine’s Air Force reported drone activity in Poltava, Odesa, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr regions. Drones struck Kremenchuk, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Berdychiv.
In the morning, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers took off from the Olenya airfield. Missiles entered Ukraine after 10:31 a.m. They moved through Poltava region toward Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Russia also attacked the Donetsk region with guided aerial bombs. There are injuries, and two people were killed.
During the night, Russia struck the Kharkiv region with ballistic missiles and drones. Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional administration, reported seven injured. A wounded woman later died in hospital.
Russia also shelled Zaporizhzhia overnight. The attacks damaged apartment buildings.
Consequences of the attack
Head of the Kyiv regional administration Mykola Kalashnyk reported one person killed and one injured. Fires broke out in a veterinary clinic, a car, and a private house. Seven animals died in the clinic, according to its staff. An NV correspondent reported this from the scene.
In Obukhiv, a multi-storey building was damaged. The Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill in the city was also hit. The plant temporarily stopped operations to deal with the consequences.
In the Zhytomyr region, the attack killed one woman and injured ten people. Head of the regional administration Vitalii Bunechko reported this. The attack damaged more than 100 residential buildings, over 55 economic structures, and two shops.
Authorities in the Sumy region reported two people killed. In the Poltava region, there are damages of civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine’s national energy company Ukrenergo reported power outages in several regions. It said that lifting of restrictions can be possible after the situation stabilizes following the massive missile and drone attack.
Air Force report
As of 14:00, Ukraine’s Air Force reported destroying or suppressing 541 targets. These include 26 missiles and 515 drones of various types. Ukraine shot down or suppressed 24 Kh-101 cruise missiles, two Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 515 enemy drones. The Air Force recorded 11 missile strikes and 27 drone hits at 20 locations. Drone debris fell in 22 locations.
In total, Russia used 579 aerial attack weapons against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s reaction
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the attack on social media. He said the assault had continued since night. At least five regions were under attack by hundreds of Shahed drones and dozens of missiles.
“Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for an Easter ceasefire. Essentially, the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported on the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s progress on the front. In March 2026, Russian forces made no territorial gains for the first time in more than two and a half years.
