Russia has launched its largest-ever air assault on Ukraine overnight, deploying a record number of drones and missiles.
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired more than 800 drones and 13 missiles, predominantly targeting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
Authorities confirmed four people were killed, including a small child, while another 44 were injured.
The strike marks the first time the Ukrainian Government’s head-quarters have been directly hit since the war began.
Attacks
Overnight, Russia launched a series of attacks across Ukraine’s north, south, and east.
In the capital of Kyiv, strikes on residential buildings killed at least two people and injured dozens more.
Further south-east, more than 20 homes and a kindergarten were destroyed.
Two additional deaths have been reported in the country’s north.
In a video posted to social media, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko delivered a statement from inside the damaged Government building.
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She urged other countries to impose further sanctions on Russia, saying its attack shows it “does not want peace.”
“I urge the world to turn outrage over Russian crimes into concrete support for Ukraine. Not for the walls of this building, but to protect our people and communities across the country,” Svyrydenko said.
Sanctions
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed the calls for sanctions, accusing Russia of committing “a deliberate crime, and a prolongation of the war.”
“The world can force the Kremlin criminals to stop the killings — all that is needed is political will,” Zelenskyy said.
Russia has not publicly responded.
Failed talks
Recent attempts by the U.S. to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have not been successful.
Following the attack, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the U.S. is prepared to impose more sanctions on Russia, possibly coordinated with the European Union.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of “mocking diplomacy, trampling international law, and killing indiscriminately.”
