At least 21 people were killed in Kyiv early on Thursday as Russia launched a massive air attack on the Ukrainian capital, shattering a period of relative calm that had followed the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. The assault, which involved 629 missiles and drones overnight, was the worst on Kyiv since 31 July.
In the Darnytskyi district, a five-storey residential apartment block collapsed after two explosions, killing 17 people, including four children. Residents described hearing the familiar sound of distant bombing before disaster struck. 'We didn't understand what had happened,' said Oleksandr Yastremskyi, who had taken refuge with his wife and son. 'It's like something had landed into our house.'
Ivan Zhelezko, a soldier who lived in the block with his family for 20 years, said he was too stunned to be angry. Among the dead were his friend's sister and the parents of a childhood friend. 'I'm just happy my family is alive,' he said, though his fatalism was hard to believe.
Yulia Maystruk, clutching her three-and-a-half-month-old daughter, described how a woman and her 14-year-old son had taken shelter in the basement near the impact point. The mother survived but was injured; the son died in hospital. Ten other people remained unaccounted for as rescue workers searched through the rubble.
The attack followed a failed peace summit in Alaska, where Vladimir Putin refused a ceasefire unless Ukraine surrendered the Donetsk territory it still holds. With Donald Trump unwilling to pressure the Kremlin, Russia felt confident to strike Kyiv again. The bombing later hit the city centre, damaging the British Council offices and nearby apartment buildings.
