A devastating overnight missile and drone assault by Russian forces struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, killing nine people and injuring more than 70, including six children, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The heaviest damage was reported in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, where a residential apartment building was reduced to rubble, burying residents under debris. Emergency responders, aided by climbing specialists and sniffer dogs, are continuing search operations at 13 sites across the capital. At least 40 fires broke out due to the attacks.
“Mobile phones are ringing beneath the rubble. The search will continue until it’s clear everyone has been accounted for,” the State Emergency Service stated on Telegram.
Images from the scene show rescue teams using floodlights and ladders, carefully navigating the ruins while police went door to door in damaged buildings to locate survivors. Metal debris from the attack also struck vehicles, and fires were reported in garages and administrative buildings.
The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted for six hours during the night, highlighting the intensity and duration of the assault.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, endured two waves of missile strikes that shattered windows and injured two people. In the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, emergency services reported that a repeat Russian strike injured a rescue worker responding to an earlier fire.
Ukraine’s state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, confirmed that railway infrastructure in both Kyiv and Kharkiv regions was hit, injuring two workers and damaging tracks and administrative buildings. However, train services continue to operate normally.
The widespread and coordinated nature of the attack has renewed international concern over the escalation of violence against civilian areas in Ukraine.
