Deadly Drone and Missile Attacks on Kyiv Claim Eight Lives

In a devastating series of attacks on Kyiv overnight, Russian drones and missiles caused the deaths of eight people, leaving trails of destruction in several residential neighborhoods. Ukrainian officials reported that the assault not only ignited fires across the city but also damaged the entrance to a bomb shelter at a metro station, underlining the ongoing threat to civilian areas.

Rescue efforts in the Shevchenkivskyi district, located less than a kilometer from the U.S. embassy, revealed the grim aftermath as emergency responders uncovered bodies from the debris of an apartment complex. The interior ministry confirmed that at least seven fatalities occurred in this area alone. One survivor, Valeriy Mankuta, recounted his harrowing experience of escaping from his damaged building and described the chaos of the moment, noting the intense fear and disorientation he felt amidst the rubble.

In addition to the fatalities, the Ukrainian emergency service reported that at least 34 individuals, including four children, sustained injuries during the attacks. Ukraine’s air force claimed to have intercepted a significant number of the incoming strikes, managing to down 339 out of 352 drones and 15 out of 16 missiles. This violence follows a period of heightened drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, coinciding with stagnant negotiations to resolve the ongoing war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.

The timing of these attacks is particularly poignant as they occurred just before NATO's annual summit in The Hague, where issues regarding support for Ukraine would be discussed. The conflict has inflicted heavy casualties on civilians, predominantly Ukrainians, although both sides maintain that they do not deliberately target non-combatants. Russia has yet to respond publicly to the recent strikes.

Firefighters were engaged in battling a fire at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, which is known for its aerospace technology department, as explosions rattled academic buildings and dormitories in the vicinity. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has indicated that there may still be individuals trapped beneath the collapsed structures after the extensive damage affected six of the ten districts within the city.

Moreover, reports from the broader Kyiv region indicated that a 68-year-old woman was killed, with at least eight additional injuries recorded. This latest offensive follows a particularly lethal attack last week that resulted in the deaths of 28 individuals due to drone strikes in Kyiv, underscoring a concerning escalation in violence.