At least 14 people killed

FE Team | Published: August 28, 2025 22:13:58

Rescuers clear debris in a residential building in a damaged area following large-scale Russian drone and missile attacks in Kyiv on Thursday — AFP

KYIV, Aug 28 (AFP): Russian missiles and drones ripped through apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 15 people, including three children, in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky said showed Moscow's rejection of peace negotiations.
Russia has rained down aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities despite US President Donald Trump's push for a ceasefire and even as it talks up the importance of ending the war since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The attack-one of the deadliest on Kyiv-blasted a five-storey crater in one apartment block, ripping the building in two.
AFP reporters saw rescuers carrying victims away in body bags as they sifted through the smouldering rubble.
Heavy construction machinery was deployed to scoop up mounds of debris. Officials warned that several people were believed to be still trapped under the collapsed building.
"Glass was flying ... we were screaming when the bombs went off," Galina Shcherbak, who was at a parking lot close to one of the strike hits, told AFP.
Ukraine's air force said Moscow fired 629 drones and missiles. This is the second largest of any overnight barrage, according to AFP analysis of Kyiv's data.
"They're just bombing residential buildings. What kind of target is there in the centre of Kyiv?" said Valery Savenko, whose apartment was damaged in the strike.
Giving the latest toll, Zelensky called the attack "a horrific and deliberate killing of civilians. The Russians are not choosing to end the war, only new strikes."
"This means that Russia still does not fear the consequences," he added in a social media post. Zelensky called for a tough response from Ukraine's allies, including fresh sanctions.
"For the spurning of ceasefire and for the constant Russian attempts to weasel out of negotiations, new strong sanctions are needed," he added. He called on Russia's ally China and EU member Hungary to take a much tougher stance against Moscow.