On early Thursday, Kyiv was hit by Russia’s second-biggest aerial attack since the war began, which killed at least 23 people. Buildings belonging to the European Union and the British Council were damaged in the strikes. The EU and the UK have summoned top Russian diplomats in their capitals.
Ukraine’s air force said that the Kremlin unleashed 629 air attack weapons – 598 drones and 31 missiles.
Russia’s defense ministry said it struck “military-industrial complex enterprises and military air bases in Ukraine” using “high-precision weapons.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is still interested in peace talks, but emphasized that the “special military operation continues.”
The Russian attack has drawn global condemnation. Ukraine on Thursday requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault a “horrific and deliberate killing of civilians” in a post on X. “These Russian missiles and attack drones today are a clear response to everyone in the world who, for weeks and months, has been calling for a ceasefire and for real diplomacy,” he said in an earlier post.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “outraged” by the incident, calling it “another grim reminder of what is at stake.” Sir Keir Starmer accused Vladimir Putin of “sabotaging hopes of peace.” Trump said he “was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised” about the attack, according to the White House.
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