WATCH: 9-story apartment building partially collapses in Kiev after Russian attack; residents trapped
Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev early Thursday, causing multiple explosions, fires and the partial collapse of a nine-story residential building, according to Ukrainian officials.Kiev Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said a nine-story residential building in the Denyansky district partially collapsed after a direct hit, leaving people trapped inside. Emergency crews were conducting rescue operations, he said, while residents were urged to stay in shelters.The mayor said at least 11 people were injured in the attack. A fire broke out on the roof of a multi-storey residential building in the Kholosivsky district, while a fire also broke out on the roof of a hotel in the central Shevchenkivsky district. Klitschko later said five medical staff were among the injured.Air raid sirens sounded across Kiev late Wednesday night, followed by waves of Russian attack drones and ballistic missiles, the New York Times reported. Residents reported sustained anti-aircraft fire and fires in multiple locations, including a major blaze in the city centre, before a series of powerful explosions rocked the city. Many people took shelter in subway stations with sleeping bags and pets after authorities warned of an imminent mass strike.Hours before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that intelligence suggested Russia was preparing another “large-scale attack” on Kiev and urged residents to heed airstrike sirens and exercise “extreme caution.”The latest attack came hours after Ukraine launched a long-range strike into Russia. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces targeted a large Russian oil refinery in Ufa and a military installation in the Penza region. He also said that Ukraine had attacked a satellite communications center in Russia’s Moscow region the night before and that Kiev had stepped up the attack in an effort to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war.Speaking in Ireland before returning to Ukraine, Zelensky said, “Putin wants to keep fighting. That’s why he has to face conditions that make it impossible for him to continue this war.”The latest escalation comes as both sides continue to step up their long-range attacks. Earlier on Wednesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank, estimated that the total number of military casualties in the war had exceeded 2 million. According to reports, the number of casualties in Russia is about 1.4 million, of which about 450,000 died. The number of casualties in Ukraine is estimated to be between 525,000 and 625,000, of which 125,000 to 150,000 died. Russia’s progress in 2026 was limited, the report said, describing Moscow’s progress as “one of the slowest of any war in the last century.”Meanwhile, Russia once again criticized the United States for continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned Washington against providing more weapons to Kiev at a weekly news conference.“In discussions with Washington, we have repeatedly stressed that providing military equipment to the Kiev regime could have unforeseen consequences for regional and global stability,” Zakharova said.
