The Ukrainian capital has again come under a deadly aerial bombardment, with heavy civilian casualties. According to Channels Television, at least twelve civilians, including a child, were killed and nearly sixty others injured in a large-scale Russian drone and missile assault on Kyiv. The attack turned another night in the city into a scene of destruction, as rescue teams worked to reach people trapped in damaged buildings across the capital.
The assault came in the form of a sustained overnight barrage. According to Channels Television, the combination of drones and missiles damaged homes, schools and other civilian infrastructure across the capital and the surrounding region. Emergency workers were left searching through the rubble after the strikes, underlining that residential and everyday civilian sites, rather than military positions, bore the brunt of the attack.
Among the places struck was one of Ukraine's most prominent institutions. According to Channels Television, the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv was among the sites hit during the assault. The damage to such a well-known centre of education added to the sense that the attack had reached deep into the fabric of civilian life in the capital, striking places with no connection to the front line.
The details of the strikes pointed to the use of powerful weapons in the dead of night. According to Channels Television, one building was hit at around three in the morning by a hypersonic missile, while two other buildings in the vicinity were struck by two further missiles. The timing, when most residents were asleep in their homes, helped explain the scale of the casualties caused by the bombardment.
The human toll of the attack was severe. According to Channels Television, at least twelve civilians were killed in the city, among them a child, while close to sixty others were injured. Emergency crews continued to search the ruins of the damaged buildings for survivors, as the confirmed figures underscored one of the deadlier nights the capital has endured in the latest wave of strikes.
Ukraine's leadership renewed its appeal for outside help to defend the skies. According to Channels Television, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could do much of the work of defending itself, but needed urgent support to protect its cities from attacks from the air. His remarks tied the mounting civilian losses to the country's repeated calls for stronger air defences to shield population centres like Kyiv.
The bombardment drew sharp condemnation over its impact on ordinary people. According to Channels Television, the attacks were described as terror against the civilian population, with the frequency of the strikes on Kyiv said to be having a dramatic impact on residents, and a call for the carnage to stop. The latest assault came after several days of strikes across Ukraine, deepening fears over the safety of civilians in the capital.