Russia Launches Massive Missile And Drone Attack On Kyiv, Killing At Least 21

Russia unleashed its heaviest aerial assault on Ukraine’s capital in months on Thursday, striking residential neighborhoods, a shopping mall, and European diplomatic offices. At least 21 people were killed, including four children, and dozens more injured, Ukrainian authorities said.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Moscow launched nearly 600 drones and 31 missiles in a coordinated overnight barrage, targeting all ten districts of Kyiv. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, but several ballistic and cruise missiles pierced air defenses, causing widespread destruction.

The deadliest strike occurred in the Darnytskyi district, where a five-story apartment building collapsed, killing 17 people. In central Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, explosions damaged the British Council and European Union offices. Emergency workers pulled survivors from the rubble as fires burned through the night.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, calling it Moscow’s retaliation against recent peace initiatives. “Russia chooses ballistics over diplomacy,” he said in a televised address, urging Western allies to tighten sanctions and accelerate weapons deliveries.

The Kremlin defended the strikes, saying they targeted military and industrial facilities, while insisting Russia remained “open to negotiations.”

The attack triggered swift international condemnation. The European Union and the United Kingdom summoned Russian envoys to protest the damage to their institutions in Kyiv. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session, and Washington announced an $825 million arms package to bolster Ukraine’s defenses.

The assault dominated headlines worldwide and fueled a surge of online activity, with CCTV footage and eyewitness videos from Kyiv shared widely across social media platforms.

The strikes also came as NATO projected that all 32 of its members will reach the alliance’s defense spending benchmark of 2% of GDP this year, underscoring heightened security concerns across Europe.

Despite the devastation, Ukrainian officials vowed resilience. “Kyiv will endure,” said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. “We will rebuild, and we will not be broken.”