Russia hits Kyiv with deadliest attack since 2024, Ukrainian officials say

LONDON -- At least nine people were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight Russian attack on several districts and residential areas in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.

"Overnight, Russia held a massive attack on Ukraine,"the Ministry of Defense said. "Cruise missiles, drones, ballistic weapons — yet another strike on peaceful cities and Ukrainian homes."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who is traveling in South Africa, said Thursday he would cancel part of his planned visit and return to Ukraine earlier than expected.

"It is extremely important that everyone around the world sees and understands what is really happening," he said. "Nearly 70 missiles, including ballistic ones. And about 150 attack drones."

The Russian attack came amid intensifying negotiations to end the war, with White House officials pressuring Zelenskyy and Ukraine to accept a potential peace plan that may include ceding land to Russia, according to a senior Ukrainian official. President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Zelenskyy of prolonging "the 'killing field.'"

At least 70 people were injured overnight, including 42 who were hospitalized, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Zelenskyy a few hours later said more than 80 people had been injured.

Six children were among the injured, the emergency service said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the strike, saying the Russian "military continues to fulfill its tasks, which are set by the supreme commander-in-chief." He added that military orders from Moscow include striking "military and near-military targets."

Rescue operations were continuing early on Thursday in the capital, where first responders were digging through the rubble of residential buildings for survivors, defense officials said.

"These attacks are yet another confirmation — Russia is not seeking peace. It continues to kill Ukrainians," the ministry said on social media.

Outside of Kyiv, Russia also targeted the Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions overnight into Thursday, the ministry said.

"While claiming to seek peace, Russia launched a deadly airstrike on Kyiv," Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for Foreign Affairs, said on social media. "This isn't a pursuit of peace, it’s a mockery of it. The real obstacle is not Ukraine but Russia, whose war aims have not changed."