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Deadly Russian strikes pound Ukraine’s capital Kyiv overnight

A “massive” Russian attack on Kyiv early Thursday killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian authorities said. Powerful explosions shook the Ukrainian capital overnight, lighting up the sky and leaving a column of smoke as emergency crews rushed to affected areas.

Ukrainian rescuers carry the body of a victim recovered during a search and rescue operation at the site of a residential building heavily damaged following a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on August 28, 2025. © Genya Savilov, AFP

Ukrainian rescuers carry the body of a victim recovered during a search and rescue operation at the site of a residential building heavily damaged following a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on August 28, 2025. © Genya Savilov, AFP

A "massive" Russian attack on Kyiv on Thursday killed at least 14 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, including three children.

Another 48 people were wounded in the attack, authorities said, with the death toll expected to rise as more victims are found buried beneath the rubble.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric.

"Six hundred and twenty-nine missiles and drones in a single night over Ukraine: this is Russia's idea of peace. Terror and barbarism," Macron wrote on X.

The attack comes as Moscow and Kyiv trade blame over an impasse in diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal which have been spearheaded by US President Donald Trump.

Around 100 people took refuge in a subway station, with some lying in sleeping bags and others holding their pets.

The city's mayor described Russia's latest strikes as a "massive attack" that caused damage in seven districts across the capital.

A five-storey building in the Darnytsky district had collapsed, the mayor reported.

Ukraine's air force said on Thursday that it downed 563 of 598 drones and 26 of 31 missiles launched by Russia in its overnight attack.

The air force recorded hits at 13 locations and falling of debris at 26 locations.

 

 

"Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war," Zelensky said on social media, calling for fresh sanctions from Ukraine's allies. 

"This means that Russia still does not fear the consequences."

The attack also damaged the EU's diplomatic mission in the city.

Kyiv suffered one of its worst attacks of the over three-year war on July 31, leaving more than 30 people dead including five children.

Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months, as diplomatic efforts have accelerated. 

Trump held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this month, followed by a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky and European allies.

But there has been little progress since then.

Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.

Moscow has cast Kyiv's demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.

Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.

The Ukrainian leader said he saw "very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations", urging extra "pressure" to "force Russia to take real steps".

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday it shot down 102 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in the country’s southwest. A drone attack sparked a blaze at the Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, local officials said, while a second fire was reported at the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in the Samara region.

Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck refineries and other oil infrastructure in recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia's war economy, causing gas stations in some Russian regions to run dry and prices to spike.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

Source: France 24

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