Local authorities said Russian missiles and drones struck Ukraine overnight, killing at least 15 people and wounding 156 others as they slept in their homes.
At least 14 people were killed in explosions that rocked the Ukrainian capital for nearly nine hours overnight, Kyiv City Military Administration chief Timur Tkachenko said.
As a result of the bombing, a nine-story residential building was destroyed, and dozens of apartments were destroyed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles at Ukraine, calling the attack on Kyiv “one of the worst blows” to the capital.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported 139 casualties in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Wednesday an official day of mourning.
It was one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv in months and came after two rounds of direct peace talks failed to make progress in ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Russia has repeatedly struck civilian areas of Ukraine with missiles and drones. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. Russia says it only strikes military targets.
Russia has stepped up its air attacks in recent months. On June 10, it launched nearly 500 drones into Ukraine in the largest nighttime drone bombing of the war. On April 24, Russia also struck Kyiv, killing at least 12 people in the deadliest attack on the capital in eight months.
The intensification of long-range strikes coincided with Russia's summer offensive along the eastern and northeastern sections of the 620-mile front line, where Ukraine is short-handed and in need of greater military support from its Western partners.
Uncertainty about US policy on the war has heightened doubts about what help Kyiv can expect.
Mr Zelensky was due to meet US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday and ask him for more help, but the White House announced Mr Trump would return to Washington early on Monday because of tensions in the Middle East.
Mr Zelensky is trying to prevent Ukraine from being sidelined in international diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and ongoing concerns over US trade tariffs.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight a little bit” before separating them and seeking peace, even as European leaders urge him to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire and compromise in peace talks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Russia's attacks during the G7 summit demonstrated Putin's “complete disrespect” for the United States and other countries.
“Russia not only rejects a ceasefire or a meeting of leaders to find solutions and end the war. It cynically attacks the capital of Ukraine while pretending to seek diplomatic solutions,” Mr. Sibikha wrote on social media.
Ukrainian troops have launched a retaliatory strike against Russia using domestically produced long-range drones.
The Russian military said it shot down 203 Ukrainian drones over 10 regions of Russia from Monday evening to Tuesday morning.
Rosaviatsia announced a short-term overnight suspension of flights to all four Moscow airports, as well as to airports in Kaluga, Tambov and Nizhny Novgorod, as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes overnight also hit the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa, killing one person and injuring 17, according to regional governor Oleg Kiper.
Mr Putin “is doing this simply because he can afford to continue the war,” Mr Zelensky said. “He wants the war to continue. It is alarming when the powers that be turn a blind eye to this.”
A statement from the Kyiv City Military Administration said the Russian attack resulted in “direct strikes on residential buildings.”
Interior Minister Igor Klimenko told journalists that a US citizen died from shrapnel wounds as a result of the attack.
According to Mr. Klimenko, as a result of the ballistic missile hit, thirty apartments in the residential building were destroyed.
“We have 27 places that have been attacked by the enemy. There are currently more than 2,000 people working there: rescuers, police, municipal services and doctors,” he told reporters at the site of one of the attacks.
Olena Lapishnyak, 49, was shocked by the impact that nearly leveled her apartment building. She heard a whistling sound and then two explosions that blew out her windows and doors.
“It's terrible, it's scary, at one point there's no life,” she said. “There's no military infrastructure, there's nothing, nothing. It's terrible when people just die at night.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
