An overnight combined missile and drone attack by Russian forces struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the northeastern city of Kharkiv, causing widespread destruction, fires, and casualties. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least nine people were killed, and more than 70 others were injured, including six children.
The attack hit several areas in Kyiv, with one of the most devastating incidents occurring in the Sviatoshynskyi district, where an apartment building was completely destroyed. Ukrainian officials confirmed that rescue teams were actively searching for survivors under the rubble, with mobile phones heard ringing from beneath the debris. Emergency service teams, assisted by sniffer dogs and climbing experts, were working at 13 locations across the city, battling flames from 40 separate fires ignited by the strikes.
“There has been destruction. The search is continuing for people under rubble,” the State Emergency Service posted on Telegram. Fires also broke out in garages, administrative buildings, and on vehicles, with metal fragments falling from buildings and causing further damage.
An air raid alert was issued in Kyiv, lasting for six hours during the attack. Authorities reported that despite ongoing efforts, the search for survivors would continue until all possibilities were exhausted.
The missile and drone strikes affected more than just Kyiv. Ukrainian officials reported that seven other regions were targeted, with heavy damage in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Mayor Ihor Terekhov stated that the city was hit 14 times by drones and 10 times by missiles, damaging residential buildings, a school, industrial facilities, and a hotel complex. One person was hospitalized following the attacks.
Further west, in Zhytomyr region, Russian forces launched a secondary strike on rescue teams responding to a fire, injuring one emergency worker. Additionally, the Ukrainian state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that its infrastructure was targeted, leaving two railway workers injured. However, train services continued to operate normally despite the shelling.
As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, both nations are under increasing international pressure to pursue peace negotiations. The latest attack comes at a critical moment as the U.S. continues to push for a peace agreement, but tensions remain high. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha remarked that Russia’s actions were obstructing any chance for peace, accusing Moscow of making maximalist demands for Ukraine’s withdrawal from occupied regions.
The Russian government has not commented on the latest attacks, but Ukrainian officials continue to push for greater pressure on Moscow to reach a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.
