A barrage of Russian drones and cruise missiles struck Kyiv overnight, killing 15 people and wounding at least 145, in what Ukrainian officials described as the deadliest assault on the capital since the war began in 2022.
Among the casualties were a six-year-old boy and his mother, as more than two dozen sites across the city were hit in a wave of coordinated strikes. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry confirmed that 14 children were among the wounded. Rescue operations continued into the evening, with emergency teams searching the ruins of a collapsed apartment block.
“An entire entrance was destroyed,” said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. “Rescuers are clearing the rubble.”
The attack came just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, demanding a ceasefire by August 8 or risk tougher sanctions. Trump, who has taken a leading role in international diplomacy in recent weeks, has insisted on urgent peace negotiations between both countries.
“Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace,” said John Kelley, the acting U.S. representative to the United Nations, during a UN Security Council session on Thursday. “President Trump has made clear this must be done by 8 August.”
According to Ukraine’s air force, 309 drones and eight cruise missiles were launched by Russia overnight. While Ukrainian air defences intercepted many, several missiles struck residential areas in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi and Solomyanskyi districts. A children’s hospital in Shevchenkivskyi sustained damage from shockwaves, and a kindergarten, university, and other educational facilities were also hit.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes and said they underscore the limits of diplomacy without deterrence.
“The world has yet again seen Russia’s response to our, America’s and Europe’s desire for peace — more demonstrative murder,” Zelensky said. “This is why peace without strength is impossible.”
The interior ministry reported that three of the 15 deaths occurred at the site of a collapsed residential building. Dozens of the injured remain hospitalized, making it the highest single-night casualty toll in Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for increased international pressure on Moscow and praised Trump’s recent peace efforts.
“He has been very generous and patient,” Sybiha said. “But now is the time to act.”
Trump had initially issued a 50-day timeline for a ceasefire but shortened it earlier this month to just 10 to 12 days, citing frustration with Russia’s continued escalation. Speaking during a visit to the UK, he expressed dismay over Putin’s broken commitments.
“We were going to have a ceasefire and maybe peace, and all of a sudden you have missiles flying into Kyiv,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, on the eastern front, Russian forces claimed to have seized the strategic town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk — a claim denied by Ukrainian officials, who say fighting is ongoing. The open-source intelligence group DeepState reported that Russian troops control the town’s eastern and northern sections, while Ukrainian forces continue to hold other areas.
Chasiv Yar, under siege since April 2023, sits on high ground and offers a potential staging point for Russian advances toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Concerns are also mounting around Pokrovsk, located 60 km southwest of Chasiv Yar, which Ukrainian commanders now describe as the “hottest spot” on the front line. Analysts warn that without reinforcements, Ukrainian defenders risk being surrounded by advancing Russian troops.
As the conflict escalates, pressure is mounting on Moscow to respond to Trump’s deadline. But for residents of Kyiv and other embattled cities, the human cost of continued Russian aggression is already devastatingly clear.
