Russia launched its deadliest assault on Kyiv in 2024 on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding 151 in a massive overnight barrage of missiles and drones that devastated Ukraine’s capital. The attacks struck residential buildings, schools, and key infrastructure across 27 locations in Kyiv and Odesa.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strike as “pure terrorism” and one of the most horrific the capital has faced since the full-scale invasion began. He revealed that Russian forces had launched 440 drones and fired 32 missiles, in what the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission called the most lethal strike on Kyiv this year.
Among the dead in Kyiv was a 62-year-old U.S. citizen. Two more people were killed in Odesa. Authorities declared Wednesday a national day of mourning, while emergency crews continued to pull bodies from the wreckage late into the night.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the attack targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial infrastructure in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. However, visuals from the aftermath showed a demolished nine-storey apartment block in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, with emergency responders rescuing civilians from the ruins.
The UN’s Danielle Bell condemned the indiscriminate use of drones and missiles in densely populated areas, warning that such tactics threaten immense civilian suffering.
As the air war intensifies, Western leaders responded at the G7 summit in Alberta. Canada pledged $4.3 billion in aid to Ukraine, including a $2 billion military package and $2.3 billion in infrastructure loans. The UK announced new sanctions targeting Russian finance and defense interests.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump, who now opposes continued military aid to Kyiv, called for Russia’s return to the G7 and left the summit before meeting with Zelenskyy. Trump also declined to endorse harsher sanctions, breaking from Europe’s hardline stance on Moscow.
Ukraine’s counter-attacks have also escalated, with drone strikes reaching deep into Russian territory, though without the civilian toll inflicted by Moscow. Russian officials claim to have intercepted 147 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Military analysts warn Russia has adopted a new tactic of concentrating drone and missile barrages on a single city at a time to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. The devastating Kyiv attack is being seen as the first full-scale demonstration of this shift.
Swifteradio.com
