At least eight people were killed in Russian air strikes in Kiev, and 70 were injured
Overnight, Russia slammed missiles and drones with missiles and drones, injured more than 70 people and smashed buildings in the biggest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year.
Officials said the attack triggered a fire, with six children injured and some still trapped in rubble.
The state Department of Emergency Services wrote on the telegram messaging app: “The destruction occurred.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said eight people have been confirmed in the capital so far, although officials earlier said nine were killed. The worst incident was in the Sviatoshynskyi district west of the city center, where rescuers continued to clean up rubble from two buildings, Krichko said.
Images posted on the telegram show the rescue team working with the floodlights carefully through a pile of rubble and extending along the exterior walls of the building. Police are traveling from apartments to apartments to determine whether residents are safe.
Apartment residents talk about horror
The emergency service said the rescue team operated in 13 locations in Kiev with rock climbing experts and sniffing dogs. The Forty Fire broke out.
It said: “Heard the mobile phone ringing under the rubble. The search will continue until it's obvious that they have all.”
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The fire broke out in the garage, and the administration building and falling metal debris hit the vehicle.
The capital has six hours of air raid alarms taking effect.
“With the sirens of air strikes, we didn't even have time to get out of the apartment in clothes. Once an explosion, another window was blown out, doors, walls, my husband and son were thrown to the other side.”
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a telegram that Russia launched 145 drones and 70 missiles, including 11 ballistic missiles. Air Force units shot down 112 targets.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said seven other regions were also under “massive” attacks, in addition to Kiev and surrounding areas.
Kharkiv, the second largest Ukrainian city, suffered Russian missiles and drones overnight, Ihor Terekhov wrote in a telegram.
Terekov said the city in northeastern Ukraine was hit 14 times by drones and 10 missiles. He said that the multi-storey residential buildings, urban Docklin-style buildings, a school building, a private yard, industrial enterprises and hotel complex were damaged and one person was taken to the hospital.
The Zhytomyr area west of Kiev has also suffered damage, with emergency forces saying Russian troops repeatedly strikes against rescue teams participating in the fire, hurting a worker.
Regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said on telecommunications that in the industrial city of Pavlohrad, the central dnipropetrovsk region, 14 multi-storey buildings in the area were damaged, mostly with their windows and balcony.
Diplomatic tensions
The attack took place at a critical moment in Russia's war in Ukraine, which began with a full-scale invasion of Moscow in 2022, with both Kiev and Moscow facing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to show progress in reaching a peace deal.
Trump and his administration threaten to work hard from efforts without progress, which has led European countries to find ways to support Kiev.
Involved in the United States, Ukraine and European officials discussed ending Russia’s talks in Ukraine as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suddenly canceled his trip to London and negotiated.
The talks held in London on Wednesday aim to achieve “significant progress” to achieve “the next common position,” according to a joint statement from the UK, France and Germany. But the negotiations were demoted after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's last-minute decision not to attend the talks.
Trump appears to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for lack of progress, as Zelenskyy said he would not recognize Russian occupation of the Crimean Peninsula as part of the peace deal.
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he recognized that Crimea as part of Russia would violate the Ukrainian constitution. Ukraine said it is committed to seeking a completely unconditional ceasefire.
Russia also accused Zelenskyy of undermining diplomacy aimed at a peace deal, and he agreed this week to acknowledge Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Russia on Thursday that things became clearer by the moment Zelenskyy lacked the ability to negotiate a deal to end the war.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that the “brutal strike” in Kiev shows that Russia, not Ukraine, is an obstacle to peace.
Russia did not immediately comment on the all-night attack.
