At least eight people were reportedly killed and 30 other were injured in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv after Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack, including a rare strike in the center of the city, early Thursday.
It was the first major Russian combined attack on Kyiv in weeks as US-led peace efforts to end the three-year war struggled to gain traction.
Among the dead were two children, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said, citing preliminary information. The numbers are expected to rise. Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the rubble.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that Russian air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 102 Ukrainian drones overnight. The ministry said the drones had targeted at least seven regions.
Meanwhile, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration said, “Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.” He added that at least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv had impacts.
“Nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping mall in the city center, and thousands of windows were shattered,” he said.
Ukraine President condemns Russian attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the deadly Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shows Moscow has no interest in “real diplomacy”.
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X following the attack.
“We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions,” he added.
‘One of the few times ‘
This time, the Russians struck the central part of Kyiv, one of the few times Russian attacks have reached the heart of the Ukrainian capital since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Thursday’s attack was said to be the first major combined Russian mass drone and missile attack to strike Kyiv since US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
While a diplomatic push to end the war appeared to gain momentum shortly after that meeting, few details have emerged about the next steps.
Western leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian troops move deeper into Ukraine. This week, Ukrainian military leaders conceded Russian forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine seeking to capture more ground.