A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early Thursday killed 12 people, injured more than 30 and damaged residential and civilian facilities while leaving roughly 90,000 homes without electricity.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A major Russian missile attack struck Kyiv early Thursday, killing 12 people, injuring more than 30 and setting buildings ablaze as Ukraine continues to contend with intensified Russian airstrikes and shortages of missile interceptors.
The assault damaged buildings across several areas of the Ukrainian capital and cut electricity to tens of thousands of homes.
The heaviest casualties were reported in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, where the upper floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed and a fire erupted. Seven people were killed there, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Klitschko called for Friday to be observed as a day of mourning.
Damage was also reported in two other districts of Kyiv. Non-residential facilities, warehouses, a school and a children’s hospital were among the structures struck, according to the mayor.
Ukraine’s emergency service released video showing rescue personnel battling a building fire and helping people escape damaged facilities following the overnight attack.
A witness in Kyiv reported hearing more than a dozen explosions during the barrage.
Outside the capital, another person was killed in the surrounding Kyiv region, according to a local official.
The attack also caused widespread electrical outages. Ukrainian power company DTEK said approximately 90,000 homes in Kyiv initially lost electricity following the strikes.
Crews subsequently restored service to more than half of those customers.
Russia’s defense ministry said Russian forces conducted attacks against Kyiv and the surrounding region using aerial weapons and drones. Moscow said its forces struck facilities involved in manufacturing drone components, as well as a military depot, logistics hub and additional targets.
The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of intensifying aerial attacks in recent months as Moscow seeks to take advantage of Ukraine’s limited supply of interceptors capable of destroying incoming ballistic missiles.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed for additional interceptor missiles to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has expanded its own attacks inside Russia, particularly against oil facilities and logistics infrastructure. Kyiv has said such operations are intended to diminish Moscow’s ability to sustain its military campaign.
Thursday’s Russian attack also had consequences beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Romania’s defense ministry said a drone crashed inside Romania, a member of both NATO and the European Union, during the Russian assault on Ukraine.
Moldova’s military separately reported that a drone crossed Moldovan airspace.
The incidents came as diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting remain unresolved more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelenskyy said this month that Ukraine had submitted proposals to U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner outlining a possible plan for ending the war.
Russia, however, has said it has not received specific proposals for another round of meetings with the U.S. negotiating team.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Izvestia newspaper that Moscow had not been given concrete proposals for possible new talks but would be prepared to arrange a meeting on short notice.
Witkoff and Kushner last traveled to Moscow in January and have not yet visited Kyiv.
The continuing diplomatic discussions have so far failed to produce a lasting ceasefire, while both Russia and Ukraine have continued conducting strikes against military, energy and infrastructure targets.
Thursday’s attack demonstrated the continuing vulnerability of Kyiv despite its air defenses, with residential buildings and civilian facilities damaged as Russian missiles reached the capital and caused one of the city’s deadliest recent overnight strikes.
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