Russian missile and drone strikes kill 17 in Kyiv apartment buildings

Russian missile and drone strikes hit residential districts of Kyiv early Thursday, destroying apartment blocks and causing at least 17 fatalities with dozens more injured, according to Ukrainian officials. The attacks came just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive attack,” prompting heightened alerts across the capital. Emergency services rushed to the scene, evacuating survivors and transporting the wounded to hospitals, while authorities began assessing the extent of the damage.

The strikes underscore the intensifying pattern of aerial assaults on Ukraine’s largest city since the invasion began in February 2022. Ukrainian defense forces reported intercepting several incoming projectiles, yet several penetrated air defenses and struck densely populated neighborhoods. International observers have called for an immediate investigation into potential violations of international humanitarian law, as the death toll rises and the city grapples with the humanitarian impact of the latest onslaught.