Russia launches most brutal attack on Kyiv this year as President Zelensky begs the world not to ‘turn a blind eye’ to the suffering of his people and their fight to beat Putin’s invasion
At least 28 people were killed and 134 injured in the Ukrainian capital’s bloodiest attack this year. President Volodymyr Zelensky branded the missile strike as “one of the most horrific” Kyiv has suffered during the conflict, now in its fourth year. The assault was launched early on Tuesday morning, when Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine.
Rescuers worked overnight and were horrified to find more bodies in the rubble of destroyed buildings. Emergency crews said most of the victims were pulled from the rubble of a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv’s Solomyansky district. In response to the attack, 120 emergency medical teams were deployed from across the city to rescue survivors and recover bodies.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had hit “military-industrial facilities” in the Kyiv region, repeating a statement often issued after large-scale attacks. Zelensky said Russia launched 440 drones and 32 missiles in total, targeting cities across the country.
And he urged the international community not to “turn a blind eye,” as the world awaits America’s next move in the Israel-Iran conflict. Across Kyiv at least 27 locations were targeted in the June 17 attack.
One of the attacks focused on a nine-story residential building, which a mother and father managed to escape before its collapse, but their son did not. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said: “A ballistic missile hit a nine-story building in Kyiv. “One section of the building has been completely destroyed.
“It was destroyed all the way down to the basement due to a direct hit.” Col. Yurii Ihnat, head of Communications for the Ukrainian Air Force, said in a statement: “Of the 16 Kh-101 cruise missiles, one hit the apartment block.
“You can see the terrible aftermath; the other 15 were shot down.” The toll rose after emergency workers pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile. The building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year.
Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five were killed elsewhere in the city.
Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site on Wednesday, and sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast also blew out windows and doors in neighbouring buildings in a wide radius of damage.
The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war.
Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the 620-mile front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. At the same time, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Sources said US attention has turned to the growing conflict in the Middle East.
One told the Daily Mirror: “Ukraine is extremely conscious of the fact that the world’s attention has switched to the Middle East and missile exchanges between Israel and Iran. The problem is that military aid from the United States has been diverted to Israel days before the attack on Iran – so Washington was clearly forewarned.”
Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine’s pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting.
It said in a statement: “This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump’s call to stop the killing and end the war.”
Kyiv authorities declared an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building.
And Ukraine is on high-alert for further attacks by Moscow whilst the Middle East tensions are on the rise.