Russia Launches 1,560 Drones and 56 Missiles, Collapsing Kyiv Apartment Block

Russian forces launched at least 675 drones and 56 missiles at Ukraine in a massive overnight attack, and Ukraine said its air defences downed or jammed 693 targets including 41 missiles.

“- Published At least seven people have been killed, including a 12-year-old girl, in Kyiv after Russia launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital and other regions, officials have said”

BBC

Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes hit ordinary civilian buildings in Kyiv, including “school, a veterinary clinic, and other purely civilian infrastructure,” and he added that “In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities.”

BBC

The Guardian reported that Kyiv bore the brunt of a second day of large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes that killed at least five and injured 44 in the capital.

In Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, Vitali Klitschko said a large apartment block collapsed, with “Eighteen apartments have been destroyed,” and the Guardian said a rescue and search operation was ongoing.

Ukraine’s Air Force said the latest attack involved 56 missiles of various types and almost 700 drones, while the Guardian reported that water and power supplies were disrupted in the east of the city.

Zelensky framed the barrage as a deliberate escalation, writing that “There must be a just response to all these strikes,” as the Guardian said the assault began at 3am on Thursday with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha tied the attack to the timing of international diplomacy, saying the barrage of drones and missiles launched at Kyiv while leaders met in Beijing showed Moscow remains “a global threat to international security.”

franceinfo

The BBC reported that Zelensky said a “significant number” of Russian drones and missiles were shot down, with an “overall interception rate” of 93%, and it said the strikes hit more than 180 sites across Ukraine.

In Kyiv, the BBC said police found two men aged 21 and 30 and a woman in the rubble of a partially destroyed apartment building, while Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the body of a 12-year-old girl had been recovered from the rubble of a house nearby.

The BBC also reported that Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko urged “help in strengthening its air defence,” writing that “This is the only way to save our people and our cities.”

As rescuers worked in Kyiv, the BBC said at least 20 people were feared missing after the nine-storey apartment block in the Darnytskyi district was hit, and it reported that dozens more were wounded.

“Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Russia’s latest large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine, saying the barrage of drones and missiles launched at Kyiv while world leaders gathered in Beijing demonstrated that Moscow remains “a global threat to international security”

Kyiv Post

The Kyiv Independent said that as of 4 p.m. local time seven people had been confirmed killed and another 44 injured, and it added that the State Emergency Service said 17 people were still considered missing.

The Independent reported that Russian attacks overnight hit ordinary civilian buildings and other purely civilian infrastructure, while the Guardian said water and power supplies were disrupted in the east of the city.

In the capital, the Kyiv Independent reported that DTEK said a transformer substation and high-voltage power line were damaged, and it described how debris sparked a fire on the roof of a five-story residential building in the Dniprovskyi district.

Beyond Kyiv, the BBC reported that Zelensky said seven people were injured in the Kyiv region, 28 in Kharkiv, and another two in Odesa, and it said the strikes followed a three-day ceasefire that expired late on Monday.