A devastating overnight assault by Russian drones and missiles on Kyiv has left 15 people dead and at least 145 others wounded, in what officials described as the Ukrainian capital’s most violent night since the full-scale war began.
Among the victims were a six-year-old boy and his mother, as more than two dozen locations across the city were struck.
Ukraine’s interior ministry confirmed that 14 children were among the injured, and rescue operations continued into the evening as emergency crews searched through the rubble of a collapsed apartment block. “An entire entrance was destroyed,” said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. “Rescuers are clearing the rubble.”
The attacks come just days after former US President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, agree to a ceasefire by August 8 or face harsher sanctions. Trump, who has taken a central role in US diplomacy since returning to the global stage, has repeatedly insisted that peace negotiations must begin immediately.
“Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace,” acting US representative to the United Nations John Kelley told the UN Security Council on Thursday. “President Trump has made clear this must be done by 8 August.”
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 309 drones and eight cruise missiles overnight. While air defences intercepted many, multiple missiles still struck residential areas, including in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi and Solomyanskyi districts. A children’s hospital ward in Shevchenkivskyi also sustained damage when shockwaves shattered windows, and several educational institutions, including a kindergarten and a university, were hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia directly and said the attacks revealed the futility of diplomacy without strength.
“The world has yet again seen Russia’s response to our, America’s and Europe’s desire for peace. More demonstrative murder,” Zelensky said. “This is why peace without strength is impossible.”
The interior ministry said three of the 15 fatalities occurred at the site of a residential building collapse. The total number of injured includes dozens hospitalized, making it the largest single-night casualty count in Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
In response to the attacks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for “maximum pressure on Moscow” and praised Trump’s recent push for a negotiated end to the war. “He has been very generous and patient,” Sybiha said. “But now is the time to act.”
Earlier this month, Trump reduced a previously declared 50-day deadline for a ceasefire to just 10 or 12 days, expressing frustration over Russia’s continued assault on Ukrainian cities.
Speaking during a visit to the UK, he noted a sharp disconnect between Putin’s promises during their private discussions and the reality on the ground.
“We were going to have a ceasefire and maybe peace, and all of a sudden you have missiles flying into Kyiv,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, Russia claimed victory in the hard-fought town of Chasiv Yar, a strategic hilltop position in Donetsk. Ukraine has denied the claim, saying fighting is still ongoing. The open-source intelligence group DeepState reported that Russia controls the eastern and northern parts of the town, but Ukrainian forces are continuing to resist in other areas.
Chasiv Yar has been under siege since April 2023, and control of the high ground could give Russia a major tactical advantage over nearby cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Ukrainian commanders are also increasingly concerned about Pokrovsk, located about 60 kilometers southwest of Chasiv Yar, which has emerged as the “hottest spot” on the front line. Analysts warn that without reinforcements, the thousands of Ukrainian defenders there could be at risk of encirclement by Russian troops.
As the conflict intensifies, many see the coming days as critical. Whether Putin responds to Trump’s deadline remains uncertain, but Kyiv’s battered residents are already paying the price for Moscow’s continued defiance.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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