- Kyiv has suffered one of its most intense overnight attacks in recent months, with Russian drones and cruise missiles striking multiple residential buildings and a government facility.
- Fires continue to rage in the Svyatoshynkyi, Darnytskyi, and Pecherskyi districts, prompting officials to urge residents to remain in shelters.
- The strikes come amid escalating diplomatic tensions and renewed warnings from Moscow.
Kyiv woke to devastation on Sunday after waves of Russian drone and missile strikes tore through the capital, leaving residential buildings ablaze and a government facility damaged. The attacks targeted the western Svyatoshynkyi and southeastern Darnytskyi districts, where multi-storey apartment blocks were partially destroyed and fires continued to burn into the morning.
In the central Pecherskyi district, a government building caught fire following what officials believe was the downing of a Russian drone. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko confirmed that emergency crews were battling the blaze, while urging residents to remain in shelters amid ongoing air raid alerts.
The strikes have claimed at least three lives—including a one-year-old child—and injured over a dozen others. Fires erupted across multiple buildings, with debris setting cars and warehouse facilities alight. In Darnytskyi, a four-storey residential block was damaged, and an elderly woman reportedly died in a shelter during the attack.
Russia has not commented on the Kyiv strikes, but its defence ministry claims to have intercepted 69 Ukrainian drones across several Russian regions. The escalation comes just days after President Vladimir Putin rejected Western proposals for a “reassurance force” to be deployed in Ukraine following any ceasefire agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 allied nations had committed to providing security support “by land, sea or air” once hostilities cease. Putin responded with a warning: any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be treated as legitimate military targets.
With Moscow still occupying roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory—including Crimea, annexed in 2014—the latest strikes underscore the fragile state of diplomacy and the enduring toll on civilians caught in the crossfire.
