With every cell of my body I want this war to end as soon as possible.
Russia launched 598 drones and 31 missiles across Ukraine, with rare strikes hitting Kyiv's city center and damaging EU and British diplomatic buildings. At least 17 killed and 48 wounded; thousands of windows shattered across nearly 100 damaged buildings in all 10 city districts.
- Russia launched 598 drones and 31 missiles across Ukraine early Thursday, with rare strikes hitting Kyiv's city center
- At least 17 killed, including four children aged 2-17; 48 wounded; nearly 100 buildings damaged across all 10 city districts
- Missiles struck within 50 meters of the EU Mission to Ukraine; British Council office severely damaged
- First major attack on Kyiv since Trump met with Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war
Russia conducted a massive air attack on Kyiv killing at least 17 people, including four children, and damaging EU diplomatic offices as peace negotiations falter.
Early Thursday morning, Russian missiles and drones descended on Kyiv in one of the war's largest coordinated strikes since the invasion began three years ago. At least 17 people died in the bombardment, including four children between the ages of 2 and 17. Another 48 were wounded. The attack was notable not just for its scale but for where it landed: deep in the heart of the capital, a rare penetration of the city's defenses that left the European Union's diplomatic mission damaged and shattered windows across nearly 100 buildings.
The Russian military launched 598 strike drones and decoys along with 31 missiles of various types across Ukraine that morning, with the vast majority targeting Kyiv. The destruction was distributed across all ten of the city's districts. At least 33 separate locations took direct hits or were damaged by flying debris. A shopping mall in the city center was among the structures damaged. The scale of the assault suggested a deliberate message, arriving at a moment when diplomatic efforts to end the war were supposedly gaining momentum.
Oleksandr Khilko was at the scene of one strike in the Darnytsia district, where a missile hit a residential building where his sister lived. He heard people screaming beneath the rubble and managed to pull out three survivors, including a boy. His clothes were covered in dust, his fingertips blackened with soot. "It's inhuman, striking civilians," he said. "With every cell of my body I want this war to end as soon as possible. I wait, but every time the air raid alarm sounds, I am afraid." Sophia Akylina, a 21-year-old whose home in the Holosiivskyi district was damaged, echoed the sentiment: "It's never happened before that they attacked so close. Negotiations haven't yielded anything yet, unfortunately people are suffering."
The strike on the EU's diplomatic compound was particularly significant. Two missiles landed just 20 seconds apart, roughly 50 meters from the European Union Mission to Ukraine building. No staff were injured, but the message was unmistakable. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, announced she would summon Russia's envoy to Brussels in response. The British Council, which operates cultural and educational programs in Kyiv, reported its office was severely damaged, with windows and doors blown out and a guard injured. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attacks "senseless" and accused Putin of "sabotaging" peace efforts. The Russian ambassador to London was summoned to the foreign office.
The timing of the assault underscored the fragility of ongoing peace negotiations. This was the first major combined drone and missile attack on Kyiv since Donald Trump met with Putin in Alaska earlier in the month to discuss ending the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with frustration, saying Russia was choosing "ballistics instead of the negotiating table" and calling out world leaders who had called for peace but were now staying silent. He reiterated demands for harsher U.S. sanctions against Russia if Putin did not demonstrate genuine commitment to negotiations.
The Kremlin claimed the strikes targeted military air bases and companies within Ukraine's military-industrial complex, using long-range Kinzhal missiles. Russia's Defense Ministry stated that all designated objects were hit. But the indiscriminate nature of the attack—hitting civilian areas, diplomatic buildings, and infrastructure across the entire city—suggested a broader message of force. Ukrainian drones, meanwhile, struck Russian oil refineries in the Krasnodar and Samara regions, setting fires that local officials confirmed. These Ukrainian strikes have been part of a sustained campaign to weaken Russia's war economy, causing fuel shortages and price spikes in some Russian regions.
Trump said Friday he expected to decide on next steps in peace negotiations within two weeks if direct talks between him and Zelenskyy were not scheduled. Western leaders have accused Putin of stalling and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian troops continue to advance, having now broken into an eighth Ukrainian region. The attack on Kyiv suggested that whatever diplomatic progress had been claimed in recent weeks, the war on the ground remained unresolved and the appetite for continued fighting remained strong. Two of Ukraine's top envoys were set to meet with the Trump administration Friday to discuss mediation, but the morning's bombardment had reset the conversation entirely.
Notable Quotes
It's inhuman, striking civilians. With every cell of my body I want this war to end as soon as possible.— Oleksandr Khilko, who pulled survivors from rubble in Kyiv's Darnytsia district
Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent.— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Russia attack now, when there's supposedly peace talks happening?
Because the talks aren't real yet—they're just preliminary meetings. Putin is signaling he won't be pressured into anything. The attack says: I'm still winning on the ground, I don't need to negotiate.
But doesn't attacking the EU's offices make that harder? Won't that turn more countries against him?
Probably. But Putin seems to be betting that Western resolve will crack before Russian resolve does. He's testing whether the world will actually back Ukraine or just talk about it.
The people pulling survivors from rubble—what does that moment tell us about the war right now?
It tells us the war is still being fought in the streets, in real time, by ordinary people. Peace talks in Brussels or Alaska don't change what happens at 6 a.m. in a Kyiv apartment building.
Is there any chance this attack actually brings peace closer?
It might. It shows Zelenskyy and Western leaders that waiting doesn't work. It might force Trump to either commit serious pressure on Russia or admit the talks are theater. Either way, something has to change.
What about the children who died—does that factor into the negotiations?
It should. But in wars, civilian deaths often become just another statistic in the argument. The real question is whether this attack is a sign Russia is getting desperate, or confident it can keep doing this indefinitely.