Russia unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine early Thursday, killing at least 15 people—including four children—in one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv in recent months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the assault was Moscow’s response to renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war.
In Kyiv, rescuers pulled bodies from the rubble of a partly destroyed apartment block on the city’s left bank, while officials reported at least 38 people wounded. Explosions rocked seven districts, damaging residential buildings as well as the headquarters of the EU mission to Ukraine and the British Council. Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the assault as among the heaviest on the capital in months.
Ukraine’s military said Russian strikes hit 13 locations nationwide, targeting energy facilities and infrastructure. In central Vinnytsia region, an attack on a railway hub knocked out power for 60,000 residents. National grid operator Ukrenergo confirmed damage to energy facilities, as officials warned Moscow is likely to intensify strikes on the power grid ahead of winter.
Zelenskiy condemned Russia’s escalation, saying, “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.” Western leaders also denounced the strikes, with European Council President Antonio Costa calling them “deliberate” attacks and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accusing Vladimir Putin of “killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace.”
Ukraine’s air defences reported shooting down 26 of 31 missiles and 563 of nearly 600 drones launched by Russia. Moscow’s Defence Ministry claimed it struck military industrial sites and air bases, while also announcing that its own air defences intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones across seven regions. Kyiv’s drone forces said they targeted oil refineries in southern Russia.
The strike comes as Moscow pushes a grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine and intensifies long-range attacks, aiming to pressure Kyiv into territorial concessions. Despite high-level meetings involving U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskiy, and Russian officials, efforts to broker peace have stalled since the invasion began in February 2022.
