Russian Strikes on Kyiv Kill Three, Injure Dozens, Government Building Damaged
Civilian Deaths and Widespread Fires
A deadly Russian drone and missile assault on Kyiv early Sunday left at least three people dead and 18 others wounded, according to Ukrainian officials. The strikes set off fires in several districts and even damaged the building that houses Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said an infant and a young woman were among the dead. Later, city administrator Tymur Tkachenko confirmed that the body of a one-year-old child had been pulled from the rubble by emergency workers.
The attacks also claimed the life of an elderly woman sheltering in the Darnytskyi district, though the exact cause of her death has not been confirmed.
Residential Buildings Hit
In Darnytskyi, falling drone debris ignited a four-storey apartment block, while in Sviatoshynskyi, on the western side of the capital, debris caused fires in a 16-storey tower and two nine-storey residential blocks, Klitschko reported.
Witnesses described hearing multiple blasts across the city, likely from air defense systems intercepting incoming drones and missiles.
Cabinet Building Targeted
For the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Ukraine’s main government building suffered direct damage. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the attack hit the roof and upper floors.
“We will restore the buildings, but lost lives cannot be brought back,” she said, calling on Western allies to strengthen sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports in response.
Escalation Beyond Kyiv
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles overnight. Tkachenko accused Moscow of “deliberately striking civilian targets.”
Air raid sirens sounded across the country. In the central city of Kremenchuk, explosions knocked out electricity in several districts, according to Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi.
In Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, Russian strikes damaged transport and urban infrastructure but caused no injuries. The southern city of Odesa also reported fires and residential damage, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.
Elsewhere, one person was killed and several wounded in Sumy, while a separate drone strike in Zaporizhia injured at least 15 people, four of whom required hospitalization.
Ukraine Hits Russian Oil Pipeline
In response, Kyiv said it carried out a successful drone strike against Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline in the Bryansk region. Commander Robert Brovdi claimed “comprehensive fire damage” was inflicted on the transit route, which supplies crude to Hungary and Slovakia.
Russia has not commented on the claim but state media reported that its air defenses destroyed at least 69 Ukrainian drones overnight.
War Shows No Signs of Easing
The attacks mark one of the heaviest overnight assaults on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as U.S. President Donald Trump continues diplomatic efforts to end the war, now approaching its fourth year.
Despite both sides insisting they do not target civilians, thousands of non-combatants have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.