Russian drone and missile strikes in and around Kyiv during the night resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, many injuries, caused fires in residential neighborhoods, and damaged the entrance to a bomb shelter at a metro station, according to Ukrainian officials on Monday. At least six fatalities occurred in Kyiv's bustling Shevchenkivskyi district, where a whole part of a residential high-rise was obliterated, reported Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, via the Telegram messaging app.
Four children were among the 25 injured in the attack, he noted.
"The Russians' tactics remain the same - to strike where people might be," Tkachenko stated. "Residential areas, shelter exits - this is the Russian way."
In recent weeks, Moscow has intensified drone and missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities as negotiations to end the war, which started with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, have produced little progress.
Both parties assert they do not target civilians, but thousands of non-combatants have died in the conflict, primarily Ukrainians. Russia has not responded to the recent assaults.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko mentioned that people might still be trapped under debris after overnight strikes caused damage across six of the city's ten districts.
"Honestly, it wasn’t that I was scared. It felt more like my life was on hold," said a 75-year-old local resident who only provided her first name, Liudmyla. "You’re paralyzed, watching it all unfold and considering how you’ll survive."
UK VISIT
Ukraine's air force reported that it shot down 339 of 352 drones and 15 of 16 missiles fired by Russia in the assault on four Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated he would talk about the nation's defense and increasing pressure on Russia to halt such attacks during his trip to Britain.
Images shared by Ukraine's State Emergency Service showed rescuers guiding people to safety from burning buildings in the dark.
Officials noted that an entrance to the metro station in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district, along with a nearby bus stop, was also damaged.
Kyiv's deep metro stations have been utilized as some of the safest bomb shelters during the war.
Kyiv Polytechnic Institute announced that the attack affected its sports complex, several academic buildings, and four dormitories.
In the larger Kyiv region surrounding the capital, a 68-year-old woman died and at least eight others were injured, according to officials.
Last week, Russia carried out one of its most lethal attacks on Kyiv, with hundreds of drones resulting in 28 fatalities and over 150 injuries.
