Russia carried out its biggest air attack of the war against Ukraine overnight, striking the main government building in central Kyiv for the first time and killing at least two people in the capital, including an infant, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the drone and missile barrage caused damage across multiple regions, including Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, and the northern Sumy and Chernihiv areas.
“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” Zelenskiy wrote on X, renewing his appeal to allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.
Reuters witnesses reported thick smoke billowing from the burning top floor of the main government building in Kyiv’s historic Pecherskyi district shortly after sunrise. Elsewhere in the city, residential apartments were damaged, forcing residents into the streets as firefighters tackled blazes.
Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said an infant’s body was recovered from the rubble in the Darnytskyi district, where a four-storey apartment block was hit. A young woman also died there. More than 20 people were wounded, according to the interior ministry.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that an elderly woman died in a bomb shelter in Darnytskyi, though the cause of death was not immediately clear. He added that a pregnant woman was among the wounded.
In the city’s west, falling drone debris set off fires in several high-rise buildings. “Several floors of a nine-storey building were destroyed, while a 16-storey apartment block was also damaged,” Klitschko said.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed it was the first time Kyiv’s central government headquarters had been hit. She described the strikes as Russia’s largest drone assault since the invasion began in February 2022.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles overnight. Defence units shot down 751 drones and four missiles.
“We will rebuild the buildings,” Svyrydenko said. “But lost lives cannot be brought back. The enemy terrorises and kills our people across the country every day.”
Russia’s defence ministry said the attacks targeted Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex and transport infrastructure,” Russian news agency Tass reported. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Ukraine struck back with overnight attacks on Russia’s Bryansk region, hitting the Druzhba oil pipeline, a key part of Moscow’s energy network. Ukraine’s military said it inflicted “comprehensive fire damage” on the facility.
In central Ukraine, dozens of explosions shook Kremenchuk, damaging a bridge across the Dnipro River and cutting power to parts of the city, Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi said. In Kryvyi Rih, Russian strikes damaged transport and infrastructure, though no casualties were reported.
Odesa also suffered damage to civilian infrastructure, with three people wounded in drone strikes that triggered multiple fires, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
Wider Implications
The latest assault deepened concerns that the war is far from resolution. Russian President Vladimir Putin has resisted calls for a ceasefire while strengthening ties with China.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who met Putin last month, has voiced frustration with Moscow but stopped short of imposing tougher sanctions. He said on Friday that he was working on security guarantees for Ukraine to help bring an end to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s European allies reiterated their political and military support but continue to debate concrete measures, including the possibility of deploying troops.
