Ukraine rescuers pull dead from rubble of Kyiv flats after massive Russian strikes Ian AikmanandAbdujalil Abdurasulov,KyivThe search for survivors continues at Kyiv apartment blocks hit by Russian strikesAt least 16 people have been killed, including two children, in Kyiv after Russia launched a massive overnight drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital and other regions, officials have said.The victims' bodies were pulled from the rubble of a partially destroyed apartment building in Kyiv, where rescuers are still searching for at least 20 people feared missing, Ukraine's emergencies service DSNS said.It said 47 people, including two children, were injured. Friday has been declared a day of mourning in the city.It is the third day in a row Ukraine has reported deaths, as Moscow ramps up its assault after a three-day ceasefire expired on Monday.The overnight barrage saw more than 670 drones and 56 missiles targeting the country, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. This is among the largest attacks Russia has mounted since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The strikes hit more than 180 sites across Ukraine, including more than 50 residential buildings, Zelensky added.He said a total of more than 1,560 Russian drones had targeted Ukrainian cities since Tuesday night, describing Moscow's assault as "definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end" and urging allies to hold Moscow accountable.After an urgent meeting with Ukraine's top military and security officials, Zelensky said a "significant number" of drones were shot down, with an "overall interception rate" of 93%.
But the same figures for missiles stood at 73%, the Ukrainian leader said, admitting that the "key challenge" remained in how to defend against Russian ballistic missiles. He said the "priority number one" was to secure more deliveries of "anti-ballistic systems and missiles for them". Ukraine has repeatedly said it has a massive shortage of US-made Patriot missile systems which can effectively intercept Russian ballistics.
Reacting to the latest Russian attacks, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Moscow of indiscriminately targeting civilians."Another night of death and destruction," she wrote in a post on X. "While Russia openly mocks diplomatic efforts, we continue to strengthen Ukraine."We are finalising a €6 billion ($7bn; £5bn) drone support package. And we keep the pressure on Russia's war economy with ever tougher sanctions," von der Leyen added.Andrew Kravchenko / Bloomberg via ImagesThe mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko (right), visited the site of the attack as rescue teams worked on ThursdayIn Kyiv, a search and rescue operation began early Thursday to look for people under the rubble of a nine-storey apartment block in the south-western Darnytskyi district.Dozens of people have been rescued alive.
But the death toll has been rising throughout the day, and there are fears that more victims are still under the rubble.Police said two men, aged 21 and 30, and a woman, who has not yet been identified, were found dead in the wreckage of the building's destroyed entrance. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the body of a 12-year-old girl had been recovered from the rubble of a house nearby. The DSNS later said another child was killed.
The emergency service provided no further details.In his late evening video address, Zelensky said the apartment block was hit by a Kh-101 cruise missile.A man also died in hospital, the city's police added, who had been at a petrol station which came under attack.More than 1,500 rescuers and police officers are working in the aftermath of Russia's overnight attacks, almost 600 of them in Kyiv, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.Teams said they had moved more than 20 cubic metres of debris and evacuated five damaged vehicles.Valentyn Ogirenko / ReutersDozens were pulled from the collapsed apartment building, with more feared trapped under the rubbleNear the scene, some residents sat inside tents erected by volunteers and local officials, wrapped in blankets in shock and disbelief.Iryna Movchan was among those watching the debris being cleared, with tears in her eyes. She had returned to Ukraine after being away for two years for a short visit, and was staying in a nearby apartment when the attack happened."The entire building was shaking. It was very scary," she told the BBC at the scene."It was so quiet lately that I thought perhaps it was time to move back completely.
And yesterday and today, we had such an Armageddon."Abdujalil Abdurasulov/BBCIryna Movchan had returned to Ukraine after more than two years awayThe strikes also damaged other residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic and other infrastructure in Kyiv, according to Zelensky, while the mayor said the city's water supply had been disrupted.The large-scale attack saw Russian drones and missiles fly across much of Ukraine.Zelensky said seven people were injured in the Kyiv region, 28 in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, and another two in the southern Odesa region.Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the country urgently needed "help in strengthening its air defence". "This is the only way to save our people and our cities," she wrote on social media. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha noted that the attack had taken place during a crucial summit between US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping, and urged the two leaders to exert pressure on Russia.
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