In a devastating assault early Monday, Russia unleashed a significant missile and drone attack on Kyiv, leading to at least nine fatalities and injuring 46 individuals, including five children, as reported by Ukrainian officials. The massive strike has prompted ongoing rescue operations, with authorities cautioning that the death toll might increase.
The nighttime onslaught wreaked havoc on residential zones throughout Ukraine’s capital. Emergency services reported damage or destruction to at least 15 apartment buildings. Among the hardest hit was a nine-story residential block in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district, where emergency teams are actively working to rescue those trapped beneath the debris.
Additionally, a fatality was registered in the Bucha district, located northwest of Kyiv. This attack follows closely on the heels of another major Russian offensive that recently claimed at least 27 lives in Kyiv, marking it among the most lethal strikes on the city this year.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has acknowledged the execution of what it termed a “massive” strike using long-range missiles and drones. The ministry claims the operation was aimed at military, energy, and airfield infrastructure not only in Kyiv but also in various other Ukrainian regions.
In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that combat persists around the strategically important town of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region. He refuted Russian assertions that the town had fallen into their hands, indicating ongoing resistance and conflict in that area.