Russian Strikes Kill Over a Dozen in Kyiv

In one of the biggest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent weeks, Russian missile and drone strikes overnight claimed at least 13 lives and injured over 85 people in Kyiv.

A Night of Sirens and Shelters

The toll was caused by the death of 85 people, including at least one child and several medical workers who were injured in a strike on an ambulance substation, and the damage extended over six floors of an apartment building which collapsed after being hit head on by several bullets, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said 56 people, including two children, were injured and three dozen locations across the city had been damaged.

The attack came days after Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shortened his trip to Ireland. "Today, we have information on another large-scale Russian strike, we have relevant intelligence data," said Zelenskyy in a joint news conference in Dublin with Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

He appealed to people to "stay safe and protect your families and children" by following air raid alerts.

A familiar routine of shelter and wait were described by the residents. People were spending the night in shelters, Ukraine's Ambassador to the USA Olga Stefanishyna told on social media, while pictures reveal how the residents of Ukraine's major cities stuffed themselves into the underground stations, holding sleeping mats under their arms.

The Justification of Moscow, the Rebuttal of Kyiv

The Russian Defence Ministry accused its adversaries of striking "the energy and military infrastructure of the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and other regions" with "massive use of high-precision, long-range weapons, including drones". But Ukrainian officials did not buy it.

The death toll would continue to rise, warned Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha, and Russia requires strong measures from international community not just declarations of condemnation.

Regional Alert

However, the magnitude of the attack led to neighbouring states being on their guard. Poland scrambled fighter jets, posting on social media that "fighter jets have started operations, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance are now in a state of readiness. This was also the case in Finland, which also closed its airspace as a precaution.

More than 4,000 hours into the war, Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "not interested in peace" after Kyiv had engaged in diplomatic efforts towards him.

The head of Ukraine's military continues to refuse to end the Russian occupation of the east, Zelenskyy told ISW, emphasizing that the country has, on official and unofficial channels, notified its adversaries of "readiness for meetings and meaningful negotiations.