A Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital overnight killed at least 14 people, including a six-year-old boy, Ukrainian officials said.
At least 145 people were injured, including 14 children, the youngest being a five-month-old girl, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.
It was the highest number of children injured in a single attack on Kyiv since the start of Russia’s invasion three years ago, according to a count by The Associated Press.
A large part of a nine-storey residential building collapsed after it was struck, according to authorities. Rescue teams continue searching for people trapped under the rubble.
Yana Zhabborova, 35, who lives in the damaged building, was awakened by loud explosions that shattered the doors and windows of her home.
“There is nothing left,” said Zhabborova, a mother of a five-month-old baby and a five-year-old child. “Just stress and shock.”
At least 27 locations across Kyiv were hit by the attack, City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. More than 100 buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, he said.
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The overnight drone attacks targeted the Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions, with Ukraine’s capital being the primary target, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Today, the world once again saw Russia’s response to our desire for peace, shared with America and Europe. New, showcase killings. That is why peace without strength is impossible,” Zelensky said.
He called on Ukraine’s allies to follow through on defence commitments and pressure Moscow towards real negotiations.
Russia fired 309 Shahed and decoy drones and eight Iskander-K cruise missiles overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Air defences intercepted and jammed 288 strike drones and three missiles, and five missiles and 21 drones struck targets.
Russian troops also struck a residential five-storey building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, regional authorities said. One person was killed, and at least 11 more were injured.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had shot down 32 Ukrainian drones overnight.
A drone attack sparked a blaze at an industrial site in Russia’s Penza region, local governor Oleg Melnichenko said, adding that there were no casualties. In the Volgograd region, some trains were halted after drone wreckage fell on railway infrastructure, state operator Russian Railways said.
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Russia claims it took control of key Ukrainian town
Russia’s Defence Ministry said that its forces had taken full control of the strategically important city of Chasiv Yar in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting for control of Chasiv Yar for nearly 18 months, as it features a strategic hilltop that allows troops to launch attacks on other key locations vital to Ukraine’s eastern defences.
Victor Trehubov, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, has dismissed Russia’s claims as “fabrication,” saying the situation in the town remains unchanged.
However, Ukraine’s Army General Staff said in a report on Thursday that there had been seven clashes in Chasiv Yar in the past 24 hours. An attached map showed most of the town under Russian control.
DeepState, an open-source Ukrainian map widely used by the military and analysts, showed early on Thursday that neighbourhoods to the south and west of Chasiv Yar remained uncontrolled by either side.
New ultimatum for Putin
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline for peace efforts to make progress. Trump said if Putin doesn’t agree to a ceasefire by August 8, Washington will impose punitive sanctions and tariffs.
“Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace. It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace,” senior US diplomat John Kelley told the 15-member UN Security Council on Thursday.
Kyiv and Moscow have conducted three rounds of talks in Istanbul this year, resulting in exchanges of prisoners and fallen soldiers, but failing to achieve a significant breakthrough to resolve the ongoing conflict that has lasted over three years.
Western leaders have accused the Russian president of dragging his feet in US-led peace efforts in an attempt to capture more Ukrainian land.
“Forcing Moscow to make peace, compelling them to come to a real negotiating table – all the tools needed for this are in the hands of our partners,” Zelensky said Thursday. “We are counting on everything now being voiced by America and Europe toward this goal to be fulfilled,” he added.
