At least 20 were killed and dozens more injured in Ukraine’s capital last Wednesday night, during what local authorities claim was a massive drone and missile attack launched by Russia.
Loud explosions could reportedly be heard around Kyiv for several hours during the night, as waves of drones and missiles struck the city; all the while, Ukrainian air defenses were attempting to shoot them down.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, declared that an apartment had its first and sixth floors collapse after a direct hit. At another site, a block of flats collapsed, making it necessary to pull multiple people out from under the rubble.
Fires were still burning in Kyiv that Thursday morning, with debris hitting residential buildings in multiple districts, as well as a hotel on one of the city’s central boulevards.
The death toll could rise, as 86 people were injured, 70 of whom were admitted to the hospital, according to emergency services.
Russia is reported by The Guardian to regularly launch combined missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital. There had also been speculation for multiple days before the attack that Russia was planning to strike again.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned citizens on the day before that there was a possibility of an airstrike that night. “I am asking all our people to be extra careful, take care of yourselves and your children, and use shelters. This is very important.”
Citizens heeded the warning, with thousands taking shelter in metro stations across the city.
Although the Russo-Ukrainian war has been on a full-scale for almost four years, recent air strikes are reportedly more severe than usual. Russia had warned foreign diplomats to leave the city in May, on the grounds that it planned to intensify strikes on “decision-making centers.”
The Russian Defense Ministry reports using weapons launched from air, land and sea during their latest attack on Kyiv, including both cruise and ballistic missiles. It claimed to be retaliating against Ukrainian strikes on its oil refineries, which have resulted in fuel shortages within the country and a state of emergency in the occupied Crimea peninsula.
Russia claims to have targeted military facilities and energy infrastructure in its strike, including some in regions outside the capital.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed it is “immoral” of Russia to claim the strikes were in retaliation. “In this war there is an aggressor and a country defending itself. Russia has no right to make any strikes against Ukraine, while Ukraine has every right to respond, defend itself against the aggressor and strike any legitimate military targets in Russia.”
He also spoke on Kyic’s urgent plea for Ukraine’s allies to supply more air defenses.
Klitschko called for a day of mourning last Friday in Kyiv, while assuring that damage had been thoroughly recorded across the entire city.