Nepal UK
Photo Credit: Reuters
KYIV, UKRAINE – Russia launched extensive missile and drone attacks on Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, resulting in at least six deaths, including a six-year-old boy and his mother. The assaults wounded at least 82 others and struck residential buildings across the capital.
Ukrainian officials confirmed the casualties following the intense barrage. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported that Russia deployed more than 300 drones and eight missiles in the attacks. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted the high number of child casualties, with nine children wounded, marking the largest number of children hurt in a single night in the city since Russia's full-scale invasion began almost three and a half years ago.
Ukrainian air defence units were active in defending the capital, successfully downing 288 attack drones and three cruise missiles during the night. Following the strikes, emergency crews were immediately dispatched across the city to extinguish fires and cut through concrete debris in a desperate search for any survivors trapped within the damaged buildings.
Eyewitnesses described the terrifying moments of the assault. Yurii Kravchuk, a 62-year-old resident, was seen wrapped in a blanket near a damaged building, with a bandage around his head. He recounted hearing the missile alert but was unable to reach a shelter in time. He told Reuters, "I started waking up my wife and then there was an explosion... My daughter ended up in the hospital."
President Zelenskiy swiftly reacted to the attacks, stating on the Telegram app: "Today the world has once again seen Russia's response to our desire for peace with America and Europe. Therefore, peace without strength is impossible." The continued aggression underscores the brutal reality of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
(Based on reporting by Reuters)
