Russia hit Ukraine’s capital with drone and missiles in the largest aerial attack on the country since the war began, killing at least two people and leaving smoke rising from the roof of a key government building.
A fire broke out on the top of an administrative building in Kyiv’s Pecherskyi district after the latest Russian attack on the city, Timur Tkachenko, the head of the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said on Sunday on social media.
At least two people, including a one-year-old child, were killed in Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post on Sunday. Eighteen people were injured, according to the State Emergency Service.
Russia has sent 805 drones and 13 missiles, most of which were downed or jammed, Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram.
A spokesperson for the air force confirmed Sunday’s attack was the largest Russian drone strike since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Smoke was seen rising from Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers building.
Russia has so far avoided targeting government buildings in the city centre.
The building is the home of Ukraine’s cabinet, housing the offices of its ministers. Police blocked access to the building as fire engines and ambulances arrived.
“For the first time, the government building was damaged by an enemy attack, including the roof and upper floors,” said Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.
“We will restore the buildings, but lost lives cannot be returned.
“The world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but with actions. There is a need to strengthen sanctions pressure — primarily against Russian oil and gas.”
A firefighter helicopter drops water as smoke rises over the government headquarters in Kyiv. Photograph: OLEKSII FILIPPOV/AFP via Getty Images
The strikes hit residential areas of the capital. A nine-storey apartment block in one of Kyiv’s districts sustained heavy damage, with several floors partially destroyed, according to authorities. Several other buildings and cars also caught fire, including a government building in the Pechersk district, Mr Klitschko said.
Among the dead was a one-year-old child, whose body was dug out of the rubble by rescuers, said officials.
Separately, the central cities of Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro as well as the southern port city of Odesa were under attack, with civilian infrastructure targeted and some people injured, local authorities said.
Russia reported 69 drones from Ukraine overnight, with no damage.
Russia has stepped up air strikes in recent months. July was among the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since May 2022, according to the United Nations. On August 28th, a raid on Kyiv killed at least 25 people, local authorities said.
European leaders are increasingly concerned that Russia will mount a new offensive on Ukraine. At a security council meeting in Toulon at the end of last month, German and French officials discussed the issue of Russian troops massing outside Pokrovsk, a Ukrainian-held stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region.
Despite US president Donald Trump’s recent push to broker an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion, including a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month, Moscow has shown little willingness to commit to a ceasefire. Mr Putin said last week that if Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is ready for talks, “let him come to Moscow”.
Mr Zelenskiy on Friday said in an interview with ABC News that if Mr Putin wants, he can go to Kyiv. “I cannot go to Moscow when my country is under missiles, under attack each day. I cannot go to the capital of this terrorist,” he said. – Agencies