Ukraine endured the biggest air attack of the war as Russia unleashed a massive wave of drones and missiles overnight, killing at least four people and leaving a plume of smoke rising from the roof of the Cabinet of Ministers building in central Kyiv.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles between late Saturday and early Sunday — a record barrage since the invasion began in February 2022. “Air force units detected and tracked 818 air attack vehicles,” the military said, adding that 747 drones and four missiles were destroyed or neutralised by air defences.

In the capital, two people were killed and 18 injured, including a one-year-old child pulled lifeless from the rubble, officials said. Drone debris struck residential blocks in the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts, sparking fires in high-rise buildings as firefighters battled through smoke and flames.

Associated Press reporters saw heavy smoke rising from the Cabinet of Ministers building as police sealed off the area and rescue teams rushed in. Emergency services confirmed multiple blazes across the city but said fires were contained by morning.

Beyond Kyiv, Russian strikes caused further devastation. In Sumy region, one person was killed and several others, including a nine-year-old child, were wounded in an attack near Putyvyl. In Zaporizhzhia, at least 15 were injured when drones hit residential blocks, shattering windows and collapsing parts of buildings.

The assault comes just two weeks after a previous large-scale strike on Kyiv, underscoring intensifying Russian pressure as hopes for peace talks fade.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts remain stalled. More than 20 nations, led by France and Britain, have pledged to form a “reassurance” force to secure any eventual peace deal. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any Western troops in Ukraine would be deemed “legitimate targets.”

Despite renewed attempts by US President Donald Trump to mediate an end to the three-and-a-half-year conflict, no breakthrough has been achieved. Russian forces continue to occupy about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, while the war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions — making it Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.