Three straight days of deadly Russian aerial assaults have rocked Ukraine, leaving at least two people dead and 40 others injured after a massive overnight barrage of missiles and drones targeted multiple cities across the country, including the capital Kyiv. Ukrainian officials confirmed the attacks marked a sharp escalation of hostilities that began immediately after a three-day US-brokered ceasefire expired late Monday. The truce, which saw only minor violations along the frontline and no large-scale air attacks, gave way to renewed violence on Tuesday, when nine Ukrainians were killed. An additional six people lost their lives in strikes across the nation on Wednesday, three of them in the western city of Rivne.
In Kyiv, one of the hardest-hit targets in the latest overnight wave of attacks, a nine-story residential apartment building suffered partial collapse after being directly hit. Emergency rescue teams launched a search operation at dawn Thursday to pull any remaining survivors trapped under the rubble of the destroyed structure. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko, who toured the damaged site early Thursday, confirmed that 18 apartments were completely destroyed in the strike, and critical civilian infrastructure was also damaged, disrupting the capital’s municipal water supply for local residents. As of Thursday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that dozens of people had already been pulled from the rubble, though emergency workers still hold fears that more victims remain trapped beneath the debris.
Beyond the partially collapsed apartment block, the overnight attack left damage to multiple other civilian sites, including additional residential buildings, a local school, and a veterinary clinic, Zelensky added. In a public statement following the strikes, Zelensky pushed back against any suggestions that Russia is seeking to de-escalate the conflict, saying the large-scale assault was “definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end.” He called on Ukraine’s international allies to speak out firmly against the renewed attacks, rather than remaining silent.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko described the assault as an “especially difficult night for Kyiv,” and noted that Russian drones and missiles targeted regions far beyond the capital. Strikes were also reported in Kremenchuk, Bila Tserkva, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Odesa, spread across central, eastern, and southern Ukraine. In a social media post, Svyrydenko made an urgent appeal for international support: “Ukraine needs help in strengthening its air defense. This is the only way to save our people and our cities.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned the attack as “barbaric” and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of prioritizing aggression and terror over diplomatic efforts to end the war. He pointed out that the large-scale assault coincided with a high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and urged the two world leaders to use their diplomatic leverage to force Moscow to end its invasion. “I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough leverage over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war,” Sybiha said.
The latest round of military escalation comes as Ukrainian officials are also grappling with a domestic political corruption scandal. In a separate development in Kyiv on Thursday, a Ukrainian court ordered 60 days of pretrial detention for Andriy Yermak, formerly one of Zelensky’s closest top aides. Yermak is currently a suspect in a money laundering investigation tied to a £7.5 million luxury construction project built outside Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s national anti-corruption agencies. The court ruled that Yermak could be released on bail of £2.35 million ($3.2 million) if he wears an electronic monitoring tag, but Yermak says he does not have the funds to cover the bail amount and will seek financial support from friends and acquaintances. Yermak has forcefully denied all the allegations against him, calling them baseless. He says he will appeal the ruling, and has no plans to leave Ukraine, stating publicly: “I’m staying in Ukraine. I have nothing to hide.”