In a significant escalation, Russia executed a substantial missile and drone offensive on Kyiv early Monday, causing the deaths of at least nine individuals and inflicting injuries on 46 others, including five children, Ukrainian officials reported. Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities caution that the number of casualties could increase.
The assault during the night inflicted severe damage on residential areas throughout the Ukrainian capital. Emergency responders indicated that 15 apartment buildings were either damaged or obliterated, notably impacting a nine-story block in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district, where rescue crews are striving to extricate residents trapped beneath the debris.
Additionally, a fatality was confirmed in the Bucha district, located to the northwest of Kyiv. Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged the execution of what it characterized as a “massive” operation involving long-range missiles and drones. The ministry claimed that the offensive was directed at military, energy, and airfield facilities in Kyiv and various other regions in Ukraine.
This latest strike occurs shortly after another significant Russian attack that resulted in the deaths of at least 27 individuals in Kyiv, representing one of the most lethal assaults on the city this year.
In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that combat persists around the critical town of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, dismissing Russian assertions that they have gained control of the town.