Russia Launches Its Deadliest Aerial Attack on Kyiv in Months, Killing 28

In one of the darkest nights since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv descended into chaos as waves of missiles and drones devastated residential areas, killing at least 28 people and injuring over 100. Ukrainian emergency teams continued search and recovery operations on Wednesday, as casualty numbers remained fluid. Two additional deaths were reported in Odesa.

The assault, beginning late Monday and lasting more than nine hours into Tuesday, targeted 27 locations across the capital. A ballistic missile strike on a nine-storey residential building in the Solomyanskyi district caused the most severe damage, destroying over 40 apartments. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed a 62-year-old U.S. citizen was among the dead. The U.S. State Department described the death as a tragic loss.

Klitschko accused Russia of using cluster munitions packed with ball bearings to inflict maximum civilian harm. Drones and missile blasts also struck additional apartment buildings, compounding the destruction.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported that Russia launched over 440 drones and 32 missiles in what officials described as one of the war’s most extensive aerial offensives. Most of the Kyiv fatalities occurred in the collapsed Solomyanskyi building, with others killed in separate blasts across the city. Rescue teams employed cranes, excavators, and sniffer dogs to search for survivors as damage radiated through surrounding neighborhoods.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks, warning they signaled an escalation in Russia’s summer offensive. The strikes come amid global distraction from Ukraine’s plight due to Middle East conflicts and U.S. trade disputes, as diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv called the assault “senseless” and at odds with President Donald Trump’s declared goal of ending the conflict.

In response to the devastation, Kyiv declared Wednesday a day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers at a playground near the ruins. One father waited hours as rescuers searched for his son beneath the debris.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror and destruction. Valentin Hrynkov, a 64-year-old school handyman, was injured along with his wife and trapped for 30 minutes in their damaged apartment before being rescued. Ongoing drone attacks forced temporary halts in rescue efforts, as families gathered near the wreckage, calling out the names of their loved ones.

The attack underscored the mounting civilian toll and deepened concerns about the international community’s response as the war enters its fourth year.

Source- BBC, CBS 24, Toronto star, The Washington Post