KYIV, Ukraine — In the dead of night, Russia launched its largest aerial attack since the war began, pounding Ukraine with more than 800 drones and, for the first time, striking a key government building in the heart of Kyiv.
The unprecedented assault left at least four people dead nationwide — including an infant — and 44 injured, according to Ukrainian officials. In the capital alone, residents endured 11 hours of air-raid sirens as drones and missiles tore through residential neighborhoods.
A First in the War: Government Building Hit
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Moscow fired 810 drones, four ballistic missiles, and nine cruise missiles. While most were intercepted, 54 drones and nine missiles hit targets across the country. One of those strikes damaged the building housing the prime minister’s office and several ministries — a first since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed the attack, saying the roof and upper floors were damaged and a fire broke out. “We will rebuild the buildings. But the lives lost cannot be brought back,” she said.
Residential Areas Devastated
In Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, rescuers pulled the body of a baby — less than a year old — from the rubble. A young woman was also killed. Several apartment blocks were partially destroyed or set ablaze, and at least 18 people were wounded in the capital.
The strikes also hit a bridge in Kremenchuk over the Dnipro River, a rare attack far from the frontlines, and targeted cities including Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kremenchuk.
Global Leaders React
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as “vile,” accusing Russia of deliberately prolonging the war. He urged the world to show “political will” to stop the Kremlin’s aggression.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia was “locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror,” while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Moscow of “mocking diplomacy” and vowed to tighten sanctions.
Tensions Rise After Failed Peace Push
The assault comes just weeks after a high-profile summit in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough. Zelensky claimed Trump “gave Putin what he wanted,” while Trump signaled readiness to move to a “second phase” of sanctions against Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia warned that any Western troops in Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets,” even as dozens of countries pledged to join a potential peacekeeping force if a ceasefire is reached.
Life Under Fire
For Kyiv residents, the night was one of the most terrifying since the war began. “Everyone is shaking… we don’t feel anything anymore, except anger,” said Yulia, a local resident. Another, Olha Biliashova, described it simply: “From attack to attack, from strike to strike.”
