Fires broke out in buildings and cars around Kyiv and entire houses have collapsed. The search in the rubble continued late into the evening.
"Relatives and loved ones of people who may still be trapped under the rubble are on site at the rescue operation," writes President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on X.
Over 40 people have been taken to hospital, including at least six children. Dozens have received medical attention on site and a total of 90 people are injured.
A particularly affected area is in western Kyiv, where a multi-family house was hit and caught fire.
Robot from North Korea
Housing in the region around the capital has also been damaged, according to local authorities.
Powerful explosions have also occurred in Kharkiv in the northeast, Ukraine's second-largest city. At least two people have been injured and both rockets and drones have struck in several rounds, according to the city's mayor.
Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk is also affected, according to the governor there.
Russia fired around 70 rockets and 145 drones at Ukraine during the night, with Kyiv as the main target. 112 were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The bombardment of Kyiv is said to have lasted for a period of eleven hours and is described as the worst against the capital since July last year. Many Kyiv residents spent the night in bomb shelters.
Zelenskyj states that Ukraine's security services are investigating reports that Russia used a ballistic rocket manufactured in North Korea. If the information can be confirmed, it is "further evidence of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang".
"They kill and torture people together – that's the only point of the cooperation," writes Zelenskyj.
"Wants to continue the war"
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha says that last night's large-scale attack once again proves that Russia is not interested in stopping the invasion.
"Putin shows through his actions, not words, that he does not respect any peace efforts and just wants to continue the war," says Sybiha on social media.
The Kyiv attack prompted Zelenskyj to return home early from his state visit to South Africa.
From the Russian side, they claim to have shot down 87 Ukrainian drones during the night, including 45 over the Crimean Peninsula.
