Skyline Turns Smoke
Kyiv
Russia unleashed its largest overnight air assault of the war on Kyiv, igniting a major fire in Ukraine’s main government building and leaving three dead, including an infant. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed that the roof and upper floors of the historic Pecherskyi district headquarters were damaged. Emergency crews worked to extinguish flames as thick smoke rose above the capital.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles, the heaviest barrage since the February 2022 invasion. Defence units intercepted 751 drones and four missiles, but debris caused widespread destruction. In Darnytskyi district, an infant and a young woman were killed when a four-storey apartment block was hit. Eighteen people were injured across the city. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said an elderly woman also died in a bomb shelter. Fires erupted in several high-rise buildings, partially collapsing floors and damaging facades.
Additional strikes hit the Sviatoshynskyi district, while drone debris triggered blazes in a 16-storey building and two nine-storey complexes. Explosions rocked central cities including Kremenchuk, where power outages followed, and Kryvyi Rih, which reported infrastructure damage. In Odesa, apartment blocks and civilian facilities were set ablaze. Poland scrambled allied aircraft to ensure air safety near its border.
Svyrydenko urged global partners to bolster Ukraine’s defences, stressing that lives lost cannot be restored. Officials condemned Russia for “deliberately targeting civilians.” This marks the second mass attack on Kyiv in two weeks, deepening uncertainty over peace negotiations as Western leaders press Moscow to halt the war.
