Russia fired its largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began, setting the main government building in central Kyiv ablaze and damaging the structure before the fire was put out, officials said Sunday. At least four people, including an infant, were killed and dozens wounded across the country as Russia launched more than 800 drones and 13 missiles in the attacks, Ukraines air force added.
A massive Russian drone and missile attack onKyivSunday killed at least two people and damaged a key government building in the heart of the Ukrainian capital.
Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a fire broke out at the government building in the city centre after the attack, which began withdronesraining down, followed by missile strikes. The drone attacks killed an infant and a young woman, Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app, while a pregnant woman was among the five injured admitted to hospital.
The roof and upper floors ofUkraine's cabinet of ministers building, the seat of the government in Kyiv, were damaged in a Russian strike early Sunday, Ukraine's prime minister said.
For the first time, the government building was damaged by an enemy attack, including the roof and upper floors, said Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. We will restore the buildings, but lost lives cannot be returned.
Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyechoed her sentiment in an online statement. "Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war," Zelensky said in a post on X, issuing a fresh appeal to allies to strengthen Ukrainian air defences.
Zelensky spoke with French PresidentEmmanuel Macronhours after the attack Sunday. "We coordinated our diplomatic efforts, next steps, and contacts with partners to ensure an appropriate response," Zelensky said on the Telegram app.
The attack on the Ukrainian government building was a "very worrying development because this is the governmental district of Kyiv, the area that is considered probably the most strongly protected in all of Ukraine by the country's air defences", said FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg, reporting from Kyiv.
Russialaunched 805 drones into Ukraine overnight and 13 missiles, with Ukrainian defence units downing 751 drones and four missiles, Ukraine Air Force said Sunday.
That was the highest number of drones Russia has used to attack the country since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted only military sites and related infrastructure.Russian army forces "have struck sites of Ukraine's military-industrial complex and transport infrastructure", the defence ministry said in a statement.
Odesa, Zelensky's hometown hit
Dozens of explosions shookUkraine's central city of Kremenchuk, cutting power to some areas, Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi said on Telegram.
Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown in central Ukraine,targeted transport and urban infrastructure, Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the military administration, said on Telegram. No injuries reported.
In the southern city ofOdesa, civilian infrastructure and residential buildings were damaged, with fires breaking out in several apartment blocks, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
Russian deniestargeting civilians, but thousands have died in the war Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Peace efforts stall
The barrage came after two dozen countries, led by France and Britain, pledged Thursday to join a "reassurance" force to patrol any agreement to end the war, unleashed by Moscow's February 2022 invasion.
Kyiv says security guarantees, backed by Western troops, are crucial to any pace deal to ensure Russia does not invade again in the future.
However, Russian PresidentVladimir Putinhas dismissed any Western forces in Ukraine as unacceptable and said they would be "legitimate" targets.
Read moreWestern troops in Ukraine would be legitimate target for Russia, Putin warns
Efforts in recent weeks by US PresidentDonald Trumpto end the war have so far yielded little progress.
Russian forces occupy around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory in total.
Tens of thousands have been killed in three and a half years of fighting, which has forced millions from their homes and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine in Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II.
With western Ukraine facing the threat of air attacks, Poland activated its own and allied aircraft to ensure air safety, the operational command of the Polish armed forces said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Originally published on France24
