Russia pummeled Kyiv with drones and missiles overnight on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and badly damaging several residential buildings, according to the local authorities, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in months.
Air raid sirens lasted for nearly 10 hours in Kyiv, as residents endured an all too familiar soundtrack: the buzz of attack drones flying over neighborhoods, the staccato of heavy machine guns trying to shoot them down and the thud of air-defense missiles trying to intercept Russian missiles.
As dawn broke, thick plumes of black smoke rose over the capital, and the acrid smell of burning hung heavy in the air. Damage was reported at more than a dozen sites across Kyiv, with several residential buildings in flames or gutted. More than 40 people were injured, officials said.
“Today, Kyiv endured another difficult night,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, wrote on social media. “Another attack, more wounded, destroyed homes, human suffering and anxiety. Search and rescue operations under the rubble are ongoing.”
Videos and images shared by residents and lawmakers after the attack showed a section of a multistory residential building collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the apartment block. The local authorities warned that some victims might still be trapped under the rubble.
It was unclear where exactly the 14 fatalities occurred across the capital. But Mayor Vitali Klitschko also said a 62-year-old U.S. citizen was found dead in the Solomianskyi district, near the city center, though it was not immediately clear if his death was linked to the attack.
Tuesday’s attack was the latest in a series of Russian air assaults that have intensified in recent weeks. Russia now regularly launches hundreds of drones at night in an effort to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses, before firing missiles that are more difficult to intercept.
The attack further dimmed already fragile hopes for a cease-fire. It came as world leaders gathered at the Group of 7 summit in Canada, where the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was set to push for tougher sanctions on Russia and increased aid for his battered country.
Mr. Zelensky had also been expected to meet President Trump on the sidelines of the meeting, but the American leader left the summit late on Monday and returned to Washington.
Constant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people.
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