A combined missile and drone attack on the Kyiv region killed at least four people and wounded at least 15 overnight into Saturday (March 14, 2026), according to the head of the regional administration for the Ukrainian capital.

Three of the wounded were in critical condition, of whom two were undergoing surgery, Mykola Kalashnyk reported on Saturday (March 14). The attack hit four districts, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, enterprises and critical infrastructure, Kalashnyk added in a social media post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the main target for the overnight strikes was “the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region.” He said Russia launched around 430 drones of various types during the night, as well as 68 missiles.

The strikes came days after the U.S. postponed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for this week, citing the war in the Middle East.

As U.S. and Israeli missiles and bombs rain on Iran, Russia has responded with words of indignation but no action to support its ally. Moscow’s failure to help another ally, after the 2024 ouster of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and January’s U.S. arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, highlighted the limits of its influence — but the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.

Russia is already profiting from a surge in global energy prices, and could hope that the Mideast war will distract attention from Ukraine and deplete Western arsenals.

Mr. Zelenskyy on Saturday (March 14) called on Kyiv’s Western partners to pay “one hundred per cent attention” to the need to boost the production of air defence missiles.

“Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine,” he said in a post on social media.

“We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defence missiles — especially those capable of countering ballistic threats — as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” he said.

Kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Ukraine last year, Mr. Zelenskyy said on Thursday (March 12), as countries scramble to modernise their air defences after the Iran war exposed shortcomings.

Also, on Thursday (March 12), Mr. Zelenskyy criticised the 30-day U.S. waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the war in the Middle East, saying it is “not the right decision” and won’t help bring a stop to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “This certainly does not help peace.” Overnight into Saturday (March 14), Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery and port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.

Krasnodar authorities said three people were hurt in a strike on Port Kavkaz, a port opposite Crimea used to ship liquefied natural gas and grains. A service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, they added in a post on Telegram.

Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the region’s Afipsky oil refinery, authorities said in a separate Telegram post. They said no one was hurt but did not immediately comment on damage.

Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both claimed front-line progress, with Ukraine saying it pushed Moscow’s forces back across places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting Russia’s invasion of its neighbour is making progress.

An overnight Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed three people and wounded dozens, the Mayor of the Ukrainian capital said on Sunday (October 26, 2025).

The head of Kyiv’s military administration said early on Sunday (October 26, 2025) that “several” Russian drones were operating over the city, and warned people to “remain in shelters”.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said later that “according to preliminary information, three people died and 27 were wounded” in the attack.

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The wounded included six children, Mr. Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

He said drone fragments fell onto a nine-storey residential building in the northeastern Desnyansky district, sparking fires in apartments on several floors.

Fragments damaged another nine-floor block in the same district, where five people were rescued, he said.

And more drone fragments fell on a 16-storey residential block in the northern Obolonsky district, damaging an apartment, Mr. Klitschko said.

The strikes came a day after other Russian drone and missile strikes killed four and wounded around 20 others in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities.

On Saturday (October 25, 2025), U.S. President Donald Trump played down prospects of a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying he was “not going to be wasting my time”.

The remarks came as Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev met with Trump administration officials including special envoy Steve Witkoff, a Russian source familiar with the talks told AFP. The discussions were expected to continue on Sunday (October 26, 2025).