Russia pummels Kyiv, killing at least 16 and dashing peace hopes

Burned cars and a damaged residential building following Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv. Photo / AFP

Russia targeted Kyiv for hours on Thursday, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an attack that killed at least 16 people, including two children, and further shredded hopes of a halt to Moscow’s grinding invasion.

AFP journalists in the capital heard air raid sirens wailing across the city before several hours of thunderous explosions and flashes in the sky sent Kyiv residents running to shelter in metro stations.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 675 attack drones and 56 missiles, mainly at Kyiv, adding its air defence units had downed 652 of the drones and 41 missiles.

Andriy, a Kyiv resident still wearing a nightgown and with blood stains on his shirt, told AFP: “Everything was burning. People were screaming ... people were shouting.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 20 sites in the capital were damaged, including homes, a school, a veterinary clinic and other civilian infrastructure.

He said: “Work is still ongoing in Kyiv at the site of the strike on the building - a Russian missile strike that literally levelled a residential block, from the first to the ninth floor.”

Seven bodies were pulled from the rubble of a single destroyed residential building - three men, three women, and a young girl, police said.

Another 45 were wounded.

Russian attacks also wounded people in the southern regions of Odesa and Kherson, and in the eastern region of Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy said: “These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end. It is important that partners do not remain silent about this strike.”

A slew of Ukraine’s allies, including the United Kingdom, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, the Netherlands, Moldova and Slovakia, condemned the fatal attacks.

French President Emmanuel Macron said: “By bombing civilians, Russia demonstrates less its strength than its weakness: it is running out of solutions on the military front and does not know how to end its war of aggression.”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the attacks on Kyiv showed that Russia “openly mocks” efforts to end the war.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine more than four years ago, said the wave of missiles and drones had targeted military-linked sites and energy facilities that supported the Ukrainian army.

The barrage is the latest setback for efforts to end the conflict after US President Donald Trump raised faint hopes for peace by brokering a three-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow last week.

Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin also suggested the war could be winding down. But the brief truce was marred by allegations of violations and both sides resumed attacks straight after.

- AFP