A mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital has killed at least 12 people and wounded 48, local authorities say.
The Thursday strike 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.
Russia launched 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types across the country, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, making it one of the war’s biggest air attacks.
Among the dead were three children aged 2, 14 and 17, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration.
The numbers are expected to rise as the search continues for people buried under the rubble.
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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.”
the site of an apartment building hit during Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv. (Reuters: Stringer)
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down 102 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in the country’s south-west.
A drone attack sparked a blaze at the Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, local officials said, while a second fire was reported at the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in the Samara region.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck refineries and other oil infrastructure in recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia’s war economy, causing gas stations in some Russian regions to run dry and prices to spike.
Russia strikes central Kyiv in a rare attack
Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, said Tkachenko.
At least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv had impacts, with around 100 buildings damaged.
Emergency services are still searching for people stuck under the rubble. (Reuters: Valentyn Ogirenko)
Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralised 563 drones and decoys and 26 missiles across the country, its Air Force said.
Russian strikes hit 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.
Residents cleared shattered glass and debris from damaged buildings.
Sophia Akylina said her home was damaged.
“It’s never happened before that they attacked so close,” the 21-year old said.
“Negotiations haven’t yielded anything yet, unfortunately, people are suffering.”
At least 100 buildings in Kyiv were damaged. (Reuters: Valentyn Ogirenko)
Bodies pulled from the rubble
Smoke billowed from the crumbled column of a five-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district, which suffered a direct hit.
Emergency responders searched for survivors and pulled bodies from the destruction.
Crowds of residents stood nearby waiting for relatives to be retrieved from the rubble, including a man who was waiting for information about his wife and son.
Bodies in black bags were placed to the side of the building.
It was not the first time the district was targeted, neighbourhood residents said.
Oleksandr Khilko arrived at the scene after a missile hit the residential building where his sister lived.
He heard screams from people who were trapped under the rubble and pulled out three survivors, including a boy.
“It’s inhuman, striking civilians,” he said, his clothes covered in dust and the tips of his fingers black with soot.
“With every cell of my body, I want this war to end as soon as possible. I wait, but every time the air raid alarm sounds, I am afraid.”
Ukraine’s national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, reported damage to its infrastructure in the Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions, causing delays and requiring trains to use alternative routes.
AP
