Massive Russian Drone Attack Kills 18 in Ukraine

Russian forces pounded Ukraine with more than 700 drones and dozens of missiles in waves overnight, in what officials described as the deadliest aerial assault in months. The strikes hit major cities including Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro, leaving scores injured and widespread destruction. NaijaChoice News reports that the attack came just days after a fragile Easter ceasefire collapsed amid mutual accusations of violations by both sides.

Nine people died in the southern port city of Odesa alone. Four others, including a child, were killed in the capital Kyiv, while three more lost their lives in the central Dnipro region. Ukrainian authorities said rescue operations were still ongoing as fires raged in residential areas.

In Kyiv, air-raid sirens woke residents at about 2:30am local time. Explosions soon followed, with eyewitness videos showing orange flames and thick black smoke rising from apartment blocks. One clip captured a drone slamming directly into a building.

Ukraine hit back with its own drone strikes. Russian officials said two people, including a child, died in the southern Krasnodar region when debris from intercepted drones fell on the port area of Tuapse.

The latest violence underscores how quickly the brief Orthodox Easter truce unravelled. Both Moscow and Kyiv had reported hundreds of ceasefire breaches over the weekend. Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022, has now stretched into its fifth year with no end in sight.

The escalation comes as global attention remains fixed on the conflict’s far-reaching effects. Energy markets have stayed volatile, with potential knock-on consequences for oil prices that directly shape Nigeria’s revenue and fuel costs at home.

Analysts monitoring the war note that such heavy barrages often trigger fresh uncertainty in commodity supplies. For Nigeria, already grappling with inflation and energy challenges, any spike in global crude could add fresh pressure on the economy.