Russia Strikes Kyiv in Deadliest Attack in Recent Weeks, Nine Dead
Russia Strikes Kyiv in Deadliest Attack in Recent Weeks, Nine Dead
A Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv leaves nine dead and dozens injured. Rescue teams scramble to save lives in one of the deadliest attacks in weeks.
Russia launched a combined drone and ballistic missile assault on Kyiv before dawn Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 63, among them six children. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported multiple impacts in residential neighborhoods, where fires broke out and rescue teams worked through rubble to reach survivors.
Officials said air raid sirens sounded around 1 a.m. local time (2200 GMT Wednesday), prompting residents to seek shelter. Within minutes, explosions lit the sky as drones and missiles struck across the capital. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, confirmed widespread damage to apartment buildings and municipal infrastructure.
Emergency responders sifted through debris and doused fires throughout the night. Hospitals in Kyiv admitted dozens of injured, including families from at least three destroyed high-rise blocks. Six of the hospitalized victims are under 12 years old, health authorities reported.
The strike marks one of the deadliest on Kyiv in recent weeks and underscores the durability of Russia’s airborne campaign against Ukraine’s civilian centers. Moscow’s military command has carried out repeated raids using unmanned aircraft alongside longer-range projectiles, a tactic aimed at stretching Ukraine’s air defenses.
In Washington, former U.S. President Donald Trump asserted Wednesday that he has secured a framework for ending the Ukraine war but blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for derailing negotiations by refusing to cede Crimea. “I think we have a deal with Russia,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We have to get a deal with Zelensky.”
Trump’s comments came as U.S. diplomats press both sides toward a cease-fire plan. Last month, Ukraine rejected a U.S. proposal for an unconditional halt to hostilities, insisting that Russian forces withdraw first. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has yet to respond to Trump’s latest statements.
The latest barrage on Kyiv casts fresh doubt on international efforts to broker peace. Ukraine’s presidential office called Russia’s overnight operation “proof that Moscow seeks continued violence,” while NATO diplomats warned that leadership disputes in Kyiv and Washington may hinder momentum toward a truce.
