Kyiv, April 24 – A massive Russian missile barrage struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least nine people and wounding 63 others in one of the deadliest attacks on the city since the war began over three years ago, Ukrainian emergency services said.
The pre-dawn strike damaged residential and administrative buildings across five districts of the capital and sparked fires that were later brought under control. Authorities said 42 people were hospitalized, including six children.
“Russia has launched a massive combined strike on Kyiv,” Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Telegram. “The search for people under the rubble is underway.”
The capital had not been struck by missiles since early April, when a separate attack left at least three people injured. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has faced sporadic but deadly assaults.
An AFP journalist reported hearing multiple explosions and observed residents sheltering in the basement of a residential building during the raid.
In eastern Ukraine, the city of Kharkiv was also hit by at least seven missiles, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. He later said the city came under attack for a second time overnight with cruise missiles.
“One of the most recent strikes hit a densely populated residential area… Two people were injured there,” Terekhov said, urging residents to remain vigilant.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Russia was attacking Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities simultaneously using missiles and drones.
“Putin shows only a desire to kill,” Yermak wrote on social media. “The attacks on civilians must stop.”
The latest assault highlights Russia’s continued use of aerial bombardments on Ukrainian urban centres as fighting grinds on in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
