Russia carried out its largest air assault on Ukraine since the war began, targeting multiple cities overnight and setting Kyiv’s main government building ablaze, Ukrainian officials reported on Sunday. At least four people were killed, including an infant, with more than 20 others injured, according to local authorities.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the strikes, calling them “a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” and urged allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences. “Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are unacceptable,” he said.
Thick smoke was seen rising from the historic Pecherskyi district as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. Several residential buildings were also hit, leaving dozens of residents outside, wrapped in blankets, surveying the damage to their homes.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed it was the first time Kyiv’s main government building had been directly struck, calling it a symbolic blow to a well-defended part of the city.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles, with Ukrainian air defences intercepting 751 drones and four missiles. Russia claimed the strikes targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and transport infrastructure, though both sides deny intentionally targeting civilians.
In the Darnytskyi district, an infant’s body was recovered from the rubble of a damaged four-storey apartment building, alongside the body of a young woman, while multiple other buildings across Kyiv sustained damage. Air alerts remained active for over 11 hours in the capital and surrounding regions.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, cities including Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Sumy, and Chernihiv also suffered damage. Dozens of explosions were reported in Kremenchuk, cutting power to some areas and damaging a bridge over the Dnipro River. Southern Odesa saw fires break out in several apartment blocks, injuring three residents.
Ukraine’s defence ministry announced plans to meet with allies next week to discuss air defence support and deep-strike operations against Russian targets. As part of a counter-offensive strategy, Ukrainian forces attacked Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline in the Bryansk region, causing extensive fire damage to energy infrastructure that supports Moscow’s war effort.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the international response, stating the strikes show the dangers of delaying decisive action against Russia. Meanwhile, U.S. officials, including former President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, indicated readiness to intensify sanctions on Russia and its allies to pressure Moscow toward peace negotiations.
