Kyiv endured one of the heaviest bombardments since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with overnight strikes leaving at least 18 people dead, including four children, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Thursday.
Among the victims were children aged 2, 14 and 17, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia unleashed 629 air attack weapons in a single night, including 598 drones and 31 missiles. Yuriy Ihnat, the force’s chief spokesperson, described the assault as “one of the largest combined attacks” the country has faced.
Moscow’s defence ministry claimed its strikes targeted “military-industrial enterprises and air bases” with “high-precision weapons.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted Russia remained open to peace talks but stressed that its “special military operation” would continue.
The moment of the Russian missile strike on a house in Kyiv. https://t.co/E4n5q0coNB pic.twitter.com/mqFOuDX03i
— Serhii Sternenko ✙ (@sternenko) August 28, 2025
Civilian Targets Hit
The strikes caused widespread damage, hitting residential areas and international institutions. Buildings belonging to the European Union and the British Council in Kyiv were among those damaged, prompting both Brussels and London to summon Russia’s top diplomats.
Hundreds of emergency responders were dispatched across the city as fires and destruction spread. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the assault as a “horrific and deliberate killing of civilians,” adding that the attacks were a direct answer to international calls for a ceasefire.
“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,” Zelensky wrote on X.
International Outrage
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “outraged” by the attack, calling it “another grim reminder of what is at stake.”
“It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine, blindly killing civilians, men, women and children, and even targeting the European Union,” she said. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed the bloc would summon Russia’s envoy in Brussels.
In London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the strikes after confirming that a British Council building in Kyiv had been damaged. “Vladimir Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace,” he said.
