An infant was one of three people killed during overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, Ukrainian officials said Sunday. The attacks injured 18 people and caused fires in many buildings, including the government headquarters.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a fire broke out at the government building located in the city center’s Pecherskyi district after drones and missiles struck the area. Witnesses saw thick smoke rising from the site.
The drone strikes killed an infant and a young woman, according to Klitschko’s message on Telegram. Among the injured was a pregnant woman admitted to hospital.
Earlier, Klitschko also reported that an elderly woman died in a bomb shelter in the Darnytskyi district, east of the Dnipro River, where the other two deaths occurred.
State emergency officials said a fire damaged two floors of a residential building in the Darnytskyi district. The building’s structure was partially destroyed.
In Kyiv’s western Sviatoshynskyi district, several floors of a nine-story apartment block were also badly damaged.
Debris from falling drones caused fires in a 16-story apartment building and two more nine-story buildings, Mayor Klitschko added.
Photos shared by emergency workers showed thick smoke and collapsed floors in several residential buildings with broken facades.
Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, accused Russia of “deliberately and consciously striking civilian targets,” on Telegram.
Meanwhile, explosions shook Ukraine’s central city of Kremenchuk, cutting power to some areas, according to Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi.
Russian strikes also targeted transport and urban infrastructure in Kryvyi Rih, a city in the same region, but no injuries were reported, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration there.
In the southern port city of Odesa, several apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged, and fires broke out, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
Moscow has not immediately responded to these reports. Both Ukraine and Russia deny targeting civilians, but thousands have died since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
With western Ukraine at risk of air attacks, Poland has activated its air defense systems and allied aircraft to ensure safety, according to the Polish armed forces.
