Two people were killed and 40 others injured after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes against Ukraine overnight, officials said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said it was a “particularly difficult night for kyiv”, as rescuers searched through the rubble of a residential building after a combined missile and drone attack on the capital.
The nighttime barrage followed a major attack on Wednesday – one of the largest Russian deployments since the start of its large-scale invasion in 2022, with 892 drones launched.
This is the third day in a row that Ukraine has reported deaths, as Moscow steps up its attacks after a three-day ceasefire expired on Monday.
In the capital, a search and rescue operation began early Thursday to search for people under the rubble of a nine-story building hit overnight.
kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko, who visited the building, said 18 apartments were destroyed. He also said the attack had disrupted the city’s water supply.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said dozens of people had so far been rescued from the building.
Damage was also caused to other residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic and other infrastructure, he added.
Zelensky said Russia’s huge assault was “certainly not the work of those who believe the war is coming to an end.”
He urged Ukraine’s allies not to remain silent in the face of the strike.
In the large-scale attack, Russian drones flew over much of Ukraine, with the regions of Kremenchuk, Bila Tserkva, Kharkiv, Sumy and Odessa also coming under fire, Prime Minister Svyrydenko said.
“Ukraine needs help to strengthen its air defense,” she wrote on social media. “This is the only way to save our people and our cities.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “barbaric attack”, which he said shows that Moscow is pursuing “aggression and terror” at the expense of peace.
He pointed out that the attack took place during a crucial summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, and urged both leaders to put pressure on Russia.
“I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough influence over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war,” he said.
The latest attacks came shortly after a three-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire expired Monday evening.
Russia and Ukraine have reported multiple violations during the truce – mainly along the vast front line – but no major air attacks.
Russia resumed its attacks on Tuesday, killing nine people in Ukraine. Six more people were killed across the country on Wednesday, including three in Rivne, in the west of the country.
Separately, in kyiv, a court ordered 60 days of pre-trial detention against Zelensky’s former right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, due to a corruption scandal.
The court said he could be released on £2.35 million ($3.2 million) bail with an electronic tag.
Yermak has been named by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies as a suspect in a money laundering scheme involving a £7.5 million luxury construction project outside kyiv.
His lawyer called the allegations “baseless.”
After the hearing, Yermak denied the accusations against him and said he would appeal: “I stay in Ukraine. I have nothing to hide.”
Yermak also said he didn’t have “that kind of money” for bail, but would seek funds “from friends and acquaintances.”