At least six people, including a six-year-old boy, were killed and more than 50 others injured after a wave of Russian missiles and drones pounded Kyiv overnight, leaving behind scenes of devastation across Ukraine’s capital.
Ukrainian officials said the deadly strikes, which damaged residential areas, schools and even a children’s hospital ward, came despite mounting international pressure on Moscow to halt its aggression. Kyiv’s military leadership has warned the casualty count could rise, with people still trapped under rubble in multiple locations.
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Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, described the attack as one of the most widespread in recent months, with more than two dozen sites damaged in the capital alone.
Among the hardest-hit districts were Sviatoshynsky and Solomyansky, where Ukraine’s interior minister Igor Klymenko said one person was killed and 20 others wounded. “One of the strikes hit a residential high-rise building — an entire entrance was destroyed,” Klymenko said. “Rescuers are still working to clear the debris.”
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The force of the explosions shattered windows in a hospital’s paediatric ward in Shevchenkivsky district, while a university, a school and a kindergarten were also reportedly damaged. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said emergency crews were on the ground attending to survivors and assessing structural damage.
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On social media, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the morning as “horrible”, saying there were still people under collapsed buildings. “Trump has been very generous and patient with Putin, but now it is time to apply maximum pressure on Moscow,” he added.
The strike comes at a politically sensitive moment, as former United States president Donald Trump intensifies his public stance on Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Just weeks ago, Trump issued an ultimatum giving the Kremlin 50 days to negotiate a ceasefire or face sweeping new sanctions. That timeline has now been dramatically shortened.
During a visit to the United Kingdom on Monday, Trump announced he was cutting the deadline to “ten or 12 days”, citing a lack of progress from Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “We were going to have a ceasefire and maybe peace… and all of a sudden you have missiles flying into Kyiv and other places,” Trump told reporters.
Although he stopped short of directly accusing Putin of dishonesty, Trump suggested there was a disconnect between the Russian president’s private assurances and the reality on the ground. “There’s what he says and then there’s what happens,” he said.
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Moscow has yet to respond to Trump’s remarks, but analysts believe the renewed threats of sanctions, combined with intensifying attacks, are pushing the already tense diplomatic situation into uncharted territory.
Meanwhile, Kyiv remains in mourning and on edge. As rescuers continue to comb through rubble and families bury their dead, Ukraine’s government is once again calling on the international community to respond with more than words.
