Russia has initiated one of its most lethal attacks on Ukraine in months, killing a minimum of 15 and wounding dozens. The russian attack hit dozens of civilian locations in Kyiv and other cities. The nighttime offensive included over 440 drones and 32 missiles. Ukrainian authorities called it a wave of “pure terrorism.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the damage in the capital as one of the worst since the beginning of the war. Russia’s four-year-old full-scale invasion, which has worsened in the last few weeks with no indication of diplomatic gains, has seen intensified Russian shelling.
Russia Pounds Civilian Targets in Kyiv
The capital city of Kyiv experienced 27 sites targeted in successive waves of missile and drone attacks. A ballistic missile hit a nine-storey apartment building in the Solomianskyi district. The explosion reduced part of the building to rubble.
Emergency workers made their way to rescue survivors. One group employed a crane to lift an old woman on a stretcher through a window. Local resident Viktoriia Vovchenko, 57, commented, “I have never seen anything like this before. Children and olderly people were all mutilated. It’s appalling.”
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko affirmed that 14 were killed in Kyiv and one in Odesa. Almost 100 people were injured in Kyiv, Odesa, and Chernihiv.
American Among the Dead, Infrastructure Damaged
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that a 62-year-old American citizen died of shrapnel injuries. Schools and vital infrastructure also faced serious damage. President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the US and Europe to act firmly. “Such attacks are pure terrorism. Putin does this because he can afford to continue the war,” he declared.
Ukraine Strikes Back, Russia Claims Interceptions
Ukraine also launched drone attacks inside Russia. However, its strikes did not result in comparable civilian damage. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 147 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over Moscow.
Despite two recent peace talks in Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow have failed to reach a truce. Russian troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine and have opened a new front in the northeastern Sumy region.
US President Donald Trump, who previously vowed to “end the war quickly,” has urged for a ceasefire. His administration, though, has moved away from Kyiv and seems more open to Moscow’s version of events.
Trump Avoids Meeting Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting Canada to attend the G7 summit, asked for stricter sanctions against Russia and greater weapons supplies. He had wished to see Trump but could not, as the US President departed the summit early in response to the Middle East crisis.
At the summit, Trump repeated his offer to reintegrate Russia into the G7. Interestingly, the bloc had expelled Russia in 2014 following its initial invasion of Ukraine. Trump’s policy shift, with vicious attacks like this one in Kyiv, shows deepening global fissures. As the conflict escalates, innocent civilians pay the highest price.
