In a significant escalation, Russia conducted a wide-ranging missile and drone assault on Kyiv early Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals and injuries to 46 others, including five children, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack caused extensive damage to residential buildings throughout the capital, prompting ongoing rescue operations as authorities cautioned that the death toll could increase.
Emergency services reported that at least 15 apartment complexes suffered damage or were destroyed in the overnight offensive. Among the most severely affected areas was Kyiv’s Podilskyi district, where a nine-story residential building was heavily damaged, leaving rescue teams working tirelessly to extricate those trapped beneath the debris. Additionally, another fatality was reported in the Bucha district, located northwest of Kyiv.
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged executing what it termed a “massive” offensive using long-range missiles and drones. According to the ministry, the targets of the strike were military, energy, and airfield infrastructure in Kyiv and various other regions of Ukraine.
This attack follows closely on the heels of another significant Russian strike just days prior, which claimed the lives of at least 27 people in Kyiv. This earlier strike was one of the deadliest assaults on the Ukrainian capital so far this year.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed ongoing combat operations, stating that fighting persists around the strategically important town of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region. Zelenskyy dismissed Russian claims that they had captured the town, indicating continued resistance from Ukrainian forces.