In a series of overnight assaults, at least nine individuals have been killed, and many injured in Kyiv due to a brutal Russian aerial offensive that targets civilian infrastructure. Eyewitness accounts reveal the harrowing impact of the attacks while Ukrainian officials vow to intensify their counterattacks.
Devastation in Kyiv: Russian Air Assault Claims Nine Lives
Devastation in Kyiv: Russian Air Assault Claims Nine Lives
Intensified Russian missile and drone attacks cause significant casualties and injuries in Kyiv, as Ukraine struggles to defend against the escalating assaults.
In a tragic escalation of conflict, at least nine people have lost their lives and numerous others have sustained injuries following a fierce Russian missile and drone bombardment in the Kyiv region, according to Ukraine's Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko. Social media reports indicate that residential areas, hospitals, and sports facilities were among the targets of this intense assault.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that six victims were in a high-rise building, while Kyiv's military administration reported an additional 33 injuries. The Ukrainian air force disclosed that the barrage involved 352 Russian drones and 16 missiles, primarily aimed at Kyiv.
During a heart-wrenching moment, local resident Valeriy Mankuta described waking up amidst the rubble of his apartment after a missile strike. "There were bricks on me, there was something in my mouth. It was total hell," he recounted. Another resident, Natalia Marshavska, shared her harrowing experience of hearing a drone before experiencing a violent blast that shattered her apartment.
In recent weeks, Russia has markedly increased its airstrike intensity against Ukraine, deploying waves of munitions with the intention to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses—a strategy that has proven challenging for Ukrainian forces to counter. The early hours of Monday saw many Kyiv residents seeking refuge in shelters as explosions rocked the city.
Ukraine's emergency services captured footage of residents evacuated from a blazing high-rise, and reports confirmed damage to a metro station used as a shelter, as well as buildings in a nearby university. Tragically, another drone strike led to a fatality at a hospital in Bila Tserkva, located just outside of Kyiv.
Further continuing the terror, an assault on Odesa claimed two lives and left dozens injured, with local officials confirming that a school was nearly destroyed. President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that these targeted strikes are no coincidence, asserting that the Russian military is purposely aiming at civilian facilities.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky has pledged an escalation of Ukraine's own offensives against Russia, stating that they will not remain on the defensive, as that leads to further losses. As the frequency and intensity of attacks rise, Kyiv is still reeling from earlier strikes that left 28 fatalities and over 100 injuries.
As diplomatic resolutions remain stalled with no new talks planned since limited prisoner exchanges, the war, now in its third year, continues to wreak havoc. Zelensky's meeting with Donald Trump at the G7 conference was canceled amid the ongoing crisis, yet he is set to attend a NATO summit Dinner in the Netherlands this week.
