Kyiv/ Ukraine: In what is being described as Russia’s largest air assault on Ukraine to date, a major government building in central Kyiv was struck overnight in a rare and devastating drone and missile barrage.
The attack marks the first time Russian forces have successfully targeted the heart of Ukraine’s capital, an area heavily protected by air defense systems.
The overnight assault resulted in the deaths of at least two civilians, including a two-month-old infant, and left 16 others injured. Several residential high-rises were damaged or partially destroyed as explosions rocked the city.
In his morning address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that more than 800 drones and 13 missiles, including four ballistic missiles, were launched by Russian forces. He condemned the assault as a "deliberate crime" and a brutal extension of the war, citing the tragic death of a young mother and her infant daughter as evidence of Russia's disregard for human life.
“The world can force the Kremlin criminals to stop killing,” Zelensky said. “All that is needed is political will.”
The strikes come just days after international leaders met in Paris to solidify security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky has now called on allies to urgently “implement everything that was agreed upon in Paris,” stressing that real diplomacy has long been overdue.
Meanwhile, the attacks extended beyond Kyiv. In Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, three major infrastructure facilities were hit. Russian President Vladimir Putin also issued a stern warning to the West, rejecting any plans to send international peacekeeping forces to Ukraine following a potential ceasefire.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that it intercepted at least 69 Ukrainian drones overnight. The drones were targeted across several regions, including 21 over Krasnodar Krai, 13 in the Voronezh region, and 10 over Belgorod.
The remainder, according to Moscow, were downed across various regions.
As the war drags into a new phase of intensified attacks and strategic signaling, the international community faces mounting pressure to respond decisively and bring the conflict to a close.
