Massive Russia Attack on Kyiv Kills at Least 15 Including Four Children; Ukraine Calls It a Deliberate Civilian Terror

Kyiv experienced a devastating attack overnight, with drones and missiles resulting in at least 15 fatalities, including four minors. The victims range from a 2-year-old to a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old, as confirmed by Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. At least ten children were injured in the incident.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that the Russian government launched 629 air attack weapons throughout the night, consisting of 598 drones and 31 missiles. The Russian defense ministry claimed responsibility for striking “military-industrial complex enterprises and military air bases in Ukraine” using “high-precision weapons.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the attack as a “deliberate and horrific killing of civilians,” emphasizing that these attacks are a response to global calls for a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution.

In response to the attack, Ukrainian authorities mobilized approximately 500 rescuers and 1,000 police officers to manage incidents across various locations, including a building belonging to the European Union mission in Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed outrage over the attack, stating that it underscores the Kremlin’s commitment to terrorizing Ukraine and indiscriminately targeting civilians. Von der Leyen announced that the EU will maintain maximum pressure on Russia by intensifying its sanctions regime.

The bloc has summoned the Russian envoy in Brussels as a result of the attack, according to the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas. A British Council building in Kyiv was also damaged during the strikes, as reported by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing civilians and sabotaging peace efforts.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of breaching diplomatic protocol by targeting diplomats and called for international condemnation. The bureau of Radio Liberty, a network funded by the US government, was also impacted in the attack. While no staff members were harmed, windows and equipment were damaged.

Residents were advised to seek shelter during an air raid alert that lasted over nine hours. Vitaliy Protsiuk, a Kyiv resident, reported his wife missing after an explosion during their attempt to reach their building’s bomb shelter. As of now, his wife remains unaccounted for.

Images captured by agencies showed locals returning to subway stations, where many spent the night. Authorities advised citizens to remain in shelters during the strikes and lifted the all-clear shortly before 7am local time.

The significant attack on Ukraine’s capital follows a series of assaults across the country over the past week, as Russian troops escalate their offensive amid stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war.

On Wednesday, Andriy Yermak, head of Zelensky’s office, and Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, met with Saudi Arabia’s defense minister to discuss an end to the conflict. A Ukrainian delegation is also scheduled to meet US officials in New York on Friday.

Meanwhile, Putin is set to travel to China next week for a massive military parade. The event will be attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as Russia-friendly European leaders such as Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Slovakia’s Robert Fico.

The attack on Kyiv is the latest in a series of assaults across Ukraine this week, with Russian forces occupying two villages in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, as confirmed by Ukrainian open-source researchers. The outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian military has struggled to fend off Russian advances in much of the east.

In his analysis of Russia’s latest attacks on Kyiv, Tkachenko noted that the Kremlin typically employs “combined attacks from different directions” and targets “ordinary residential buildings.” Decoy missiles were used as false targets to confuse Ukrainian defense systems, according to military officials.

Several high-rise residential buildings, a kindergarten, private homes, non-residential blocks, offices, transport infrastructure, and dozens of cars were damaged in the attack, authorities reported. The number of damaged facilities in Kyiv is expected to reach hundreds, with thousands of broken windows, and a shopping center in the city center was affected.