Russia on Sunday launched one of its largest air raids against Ukraine since the start of the war, killing 12 people and injuring 60 others. Among the killed are three children.
The overnight attack comes just one day after massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko described the attack as “brutal, combined strike aimed at civilians”, adding that “once again, the enemy has shown that its goal is fear and death.”
Overall, 13 regions were targeted by the Russian assault, including the city of Kyiv, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Sumy, and Poltava regions, Klymenko wrote on Facebook. Over 80 residential buildings were damaged during the attack, while the authorities recorded 27 fires, with firefighters still working to extinguish blazes at three sites.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed that Moscow had launched 298 drones and 69 missiles in multiple waves, while Kremlin said its air defences had shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Commenting on Russia’s deadly attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Washington to speak out. “The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin. Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram app.
Russia’s deadly attack on Kyiv also prompted strong response from the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, who called on strong international response from the international community.
“Last night’s attacks again show Russia bent on more suffering and the annihilation of Ukraine. Devastating to see children among innocent victims harmed and killed... We need the strongest international pressure on Russia to stop this war,” Kallas said on X platform.
The deadly attack was launched on the third and final day of the largest-scale prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine that saw the exchange of 1,000 from each side.
