Casablanca – At least 10 people, including three children, were killed and dozens more wounded after Russia launched a large-scale overnight drone and missile assault on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
The deadly barrage, the first major combined attack on Kyiv since US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month, struck multiple districts across the city, leaving residential areas in ruins.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported 38 injuries, with 30 people hospitalized, warning that the death toll could rise as rescue operations continue.
“Everything is destroyed,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s city administration, after a five-storey residential building was directly hit in the Darnytskyi district.
Authorities confirmed that three children aged 2, 14, and 17 were among the victims. Witnesses described scenes of horror, with families trapped beneath rubble and residents scrambling to rescue neighbors.
“It’s inhuman, striking civilians,” said Oleksandr Khilko, who pulled three survivors from the debris of his sister’s apartment building.
Among the properties damaged was the European Union (EU) delegation’s building in Kyiv. EU Commissioner Marta Kos strongly condemned the strikes, calling them “a clear sign that Russia rejects peace and chooses terror.”
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault, describing it as Russia’s response to international calls for peace. “The death of children should stir far greater emotions than anything else,” he said, urging tougher sanctions and increased pressure on Moscow.
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war,” he added.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry said it has intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones launched overnight, targeting seven regions across the country.
Ukrainian forces claimed successful hits on two Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar and Samara, with footage showing fires raging at one facility.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts by Washington, Ukrainians remain skeptical about peace talks. “For many here, the very notion feels like the punchline of a bad joke,” reported Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi from Kyiv.
