Russian Strikes Kill Four, Destroy McDonald's in Kyiv

Russia has launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on the center of Kyiv, killing four people, destroying a McDonald's restaurant and rupturing a water main.

The overnight strike, called "heinous" by Ukraine's foreign minister, early Saturday also wounded three and damaged the entrance to a metro station, and a residential block.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment by email.

A firefighter shines a flashlight near a burnt car wreck, a damaged metro station and Mcdonald's, following a rocket attack in Kyiv, on January 18, 2025. Ukraine's authorities said four people were killed in the... TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/

Why It Matters

Kyiv continues to face a barrage of Russian drones and missiles, but deaths in the city are rare given that it is heavily protected by air defense systems and more able to fend off attacks elsewhere in the country. The latest strike shows Russia's ability to strike at the heart of the Ukrainian capital.

What to Know

Ukraine's air force said it had downed two Iskander ballistic missiles and 24 Russian attack drones overnight Friday, but the downed missiles fell on Kyiv's central Shevchenkivsky district damaging buildings and nearby cars. The entrance to Lukianivska metro station was temporarily closed after its entrance was damaged.

The strike also temporarily knocked out local water supplies and images posted to social media showed flooding on the street at the site of the attack, the charred remains of a bombed-out McDonald's outlet and smashed windows.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described it as "a heinous Russian ballistic attack."

Russia also struck other parts of Ukraine overnight, including the city of Zaporizhzhia, partially destroying an industrial building and injuring 10 people, according to the regional governor Ivan Fedorov.

A Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk region killed five people and injured 19 others, including four children, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's military administration.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped up its drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, with attack craft hitting another fuel storage depot in the town of Lyudinovo, Kaluga Region. There was also a strike by Kyiv on a depot in Russia's Tula Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.

What People Are Saying

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration: "We already have four dead in Shevchenkivsky district."

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X: Yet another proof that Putin wants war, not peace. He must be forced to accept a just peace through strength—maximum economic and military pressure

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik on X: "Absolutely brutal ballistic attack on Kyiv is a reminder: you cannot negotiate with evil."

What's Next

Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine are likely to continue raising questions over whether Moscow ever intends to engage in negotiations to end the war. Meanwhile, Kyiv will hit back with its own aerial attacks which have targeted Russian energy and military infrastructure like the one on Friday night in Kaluga.

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