Russian strikes kill 5 in Kyiv after ceasefire collapse; child among dead

At least five people, including a 12-year-old girl, were killed after Russia launched one of its largest drone and missile assaults on Ukraine since the start of the war, with residential buildings in Kyiv among the targets.

The large-scale overnight bombardment came days after a three-day US-brokered ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine collapsed, with Moscow resuming major aerial attacks across multiple Ukrainian cities.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched more than 670 drones and 56 missiles overnight, targeting over 180 locations across the country and damaging more than 50 residential buildings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian air defences intercepted around 93 per cent of the incoming aerial threats but described the assault as among the heaviest since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Apartment block hit in Kyiv

In Kyiv, rescue teams continued searching through the rubble of a partially destroyed nine-storey residential building after a direct strike overnight.

Police said the bodies of two men aged 21 and 30 and an unidentified woman were recovered from the debris of the collapsed section of the building. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko later confirmed that the body of a 12-year-old girl had also been recovered nearby.

Another man reportedly died in hospital after a petrol station came under attack during the strikes.

Officials said more than 1,500 emergency responders and police personnel were deployed across affected areas, including nearly 600 in Kyiv alone. More than 10 people were feared trapped under rubble as rescue operations continued.

The strikes also damaged schools, veterinary clinics and water infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital.

Attacks spread across Ukraine

Apart from Kyiv, attacks were reported in Kremenchuk, Bila Tserkva, Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa regions.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko appealed for stronger international air defence support, saying Ukraine urgently needed assistance to protect civilians and cities.

Zelenskyy urged allies to maintain pressure and sanctions on Moscow, saying the scale of the assault contradicted suggestions that the war was nearing an end.

“This is definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end,” he said.