Devastation Strikes Kyiv Again: 15 Dead in Major Russian Assault

KYIV, Ukraine — Officials reported that at least 15 individuals lost their lives and nearly 100 were injured overnight as Russia initiated one of its most significant assaults on the Ukrainian capital in recent months.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Russia executed a coordinated strike involving drones, ballistic, and cruise missiles.

When the 10-hour air raid alert concluded around 6:00 a.m., a dense layer of smoke enveloped the city.

A nine-story residential building located in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district was hit by multiple Shahed drones and a ballistic missile, causing a complete section of the structure to collapse.

«Three drones appeared first, and that’s when we rushed to the shelter,» recounted Svitlana, a 55-year-old grandmother who has called the building home since she was 12. «The Russians deploy drones initially, wait for the State Emergency Service to show up, then follow up with ballistic missiles to maximize casualties.»

With her neighbors, Svitlana began clearing glass and evaluating the damage to their apartments.

Eager to converse with foreign journalists, Svitlana contacted her granddaughter, who could articulate her experiences in English.

«This is terrible,» stated 15-year-old Liza regarding the attack. «We took cover in the shelter, there were numerous explosions. I’m in shock — it’s incredibly stressful.»

According to Timur Tkachenko, head of the military administration of Kyiv, the capital was assaulted with 175 drones, over 14 cruise missiles, and at least two ballistic missiles.

In the midst of the debris, burned vehicles, and shattered glass scattered throughout the Solomyanskyi district, exhausted residents stood, gazing at the devastation of their homes, crying and comforting one another.

«This was my parents’ apartment, but now it belongs to me. I’ve lived here all my life. Today, three Shahed drones struck our street, and then the missile demolished the house,» one neighbor told The Moscow Times, opting to remain anonymous.

A visibly distressed man, covered in blood, sat against a fence across from the damaged building, looking around vacantly. Speaking in Russian, he shared that his “father is in the village, while my mother is in intensive care. Things don’t look good.”

Emergency responders from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service arrived soon after the attack, searching through the rubble for survivors and clearing the area.

While addressing journalists at the site, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated, «The number of injured and deceased is rising every minute; we cannot provide an accurate count of casualties at this point.»

Damage from the attack has been recorded at 12 different locations across the Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, Podilskyi, and Obolonskyi districts of Kyiv.

Klitschko released a video on his Telegram channel presenting what he claimed was proof of Russia employing cluster munitions «to maximize fatalities. There is no other way to describe it.»

Later that day, Russia’s Defense Ministry asserted it had executed «precision strikes» on military targets within Kyiv and the Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine. «The objectives of these strikes were met. All chosen locations were hit,» the spokesperson declared.

In recent months, Russia has intensified the frequency and scale of its attacks on the capital and other Ukrainian cities, coinciding with U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace agreement with Russia and diminish military support for Ukraine.

Moscow has also escalated its offensive maneuvers along the extensive front line, exceeding 1,000 kilometers, in hopes of compelling Ukraine to capitulate to its maximalist ambitions.

The attack on Tuesday occurred concurrently with the G7 summit in Canada, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was poised to advocate for stricter sanctions on Russia and increased support for Ukraine from the U.S.

However, President Donald Trump departed the summit early to return to Washington in light of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, diminishing Ukraine’s hopes of capturing the attention of U.S. leaders.

At 7:59 a.m. Kyiv time, air raid sirens rang out again as another Russian ballistic missile was detected heading towards the city, instigating a wave of panic among the populace.

In trepidation of a potential «double tap» strike — a tactic where an initial missile is followed by a second aimed at first responders — onlookers, emergency personnel, and residents still recovering from the initial assault scrambled for cover. Streets that had just begun to fill with aid workers and media swiftly emptied as Kyiv braced for further impact.

Fortunately, this time, the missiles did not reach their target in Kyiv.