Russian airstrikes have killed at least eight people in a succession of attacks on Kyiv overnight and wounded dozens more in the most deadly night raid on the Ukrainian capital for several weeks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who revealed that a child was among the dead, said the attacks showed that Russia had no intention of negotiating an end the war, despite the recent intervention of Donald Trump.
“These Russian missiles and attack drones today are a clear response to everyone in the world who, for weeks and months, has been calling for a ceasefire and for real diplomacy,” he said on social media. “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.”
A wave of strikes could be heard from the city centre after 3am and again at about 5.30am, with officials reporting impacts at more than 20 locations, including the destruction of part of a five-storey building in the east of the city.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said a 14-year-old girl and another child were among the dead. A total of 45 people had been counted as injured so far, he added.
Three people were rescued from under the rubble of one of the sites, said Ihor Klymenko, the interior affairs minister, adding that more people could be buried under the rubble as rescue efforts continued.
Aerial bombardment of Kyiv had been relatively muted during August, when Trump made a failed attempt to bring about an end to the war by meeting the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska.
But the overnight attack indicated Russia was ready to return to its deadly campaign, with Ukrainian officials reporting that the capital was targeted by ballistic and cruise missiles as well as Shahed drones.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said during the night a “massive attack on the capital” was taking place. Air defence forces were operating, he said, and urged residents to remain in shelters for their protection.
Zelenskyy said there should be an international response and called for further sanctions against Russia, including from China, an ally of Moscow. “We expect a reaction from China to what is going on. China has repeatedly called for not expanding the war and for a ceasefire,” he added.
Hours earlier, Beijing said Putin would be among the leaders attending a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week.
