At least 23 dead in Deadly Overnight Kyiv Attack + Video
Rokna Political Desk: At least 21 people, including four children, were killed and dozens more injured in a massive overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Thursday, in the deadliest assault on the capital in months. The strikes damaged residential areas as well as the offices of the British Council and the European Union delegation, prompting London and Brussels to summon Russian envoys in protest.
According to Rokna Ukraine’s capital was struck by one of the deadliest aerial assaults in months, leaving at least 21 people dead, including four children, and dozens more injured. The attack, carried out with a massive barrage of more than 600 missiles and drones, caused extensive damage to residential neighborhoods as well as to the offices of the British Council and the European Union delegation in Kyiv.
According to Ukraine’s air force, the overnight strikes included high-speed ballistic missiles such as Kinzhals and Iskanders, along with Kh-101 cruise missiles and hundreds of Shahed drones. While most were intercepted, several penetrated air defenses, causing significant destruction across more than 20 locations in the city. Loud explosions were reported around 3 a.m. and again, more forcefully, shortly after 5:30 a.m.
The British Council’s office, a symbol of the UK’s cultural and educational outreach in Ukraine, suffered severe blast damage, with windows and entrances blown out and ceilings collapsed. A security guard was injured but remains in stable condition. The EU delegation offices were also “severely damaged by the shock wave,” according to EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the strikes, stressing that “the killing of civilians and the destruction of diplomatic institutions must stop,” as London summoned the Russian ambassador in direct response.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia, which would be the 19th since the full-scale invasion began.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas declared that “no diplomatic mission should ever be a target,” calling the strikes a deliberate attempt to escalate and undermine peace efforts.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the bombardment as “senseless” and accused Moscow of “sabotaging hopes for peace.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes demonstrate Russia’s lack of interest in any peace talks. “Moscow has chosen ballistic missiles over the negotiating table,” he stated, arguing that the attacks were a direct response to international appeals for ceasefire and diplomacy.
The assault comes just weeks after former U.S. President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to broker peace through meetings with both Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump’s envoy, Keith Kellogg, warned that the escalation jeopardizes Washington’s proposals to end the war. European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said the strikes made clear that Russia has no intention of negotiating.
Images released by officials showed destroyed apartment blocks, burnt-out vehicles, and shattered offices filled with debris. Local authorities confirmed that 38 people were injured in addition to the fatalities.
The attack underscores a renewed Russian campaign of citywide bombardment after a relative lull in August and marks the most lethal strike on Kyiv in recent months. Western governments have vowed to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on Moscow as Ukraine braces for further assaults.
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