Ukraine says 11 killed, over 130 injured in Russian airstrikes on Kyiv

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine said on Thursday that at least 11 people were killed and over 130 others injured in overnight Russian airstrikes on the country’s capital, Kyiv.

“As of 4.45 p.m. local time (1345GMT), 11 people were killed and 135 injured in the Russian combined attack on Kyiv,” said a statement by the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) on Telegram.

Indicating that information on the number of casualties is still being updated, the statement said one child is among those killed in the attack.

Earlier, KMVA head Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram that the attack damaged over 100 infrastructure objects, including residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, medical institutions, and a university.

He stated that more than 300 personnel are involved, thanking Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and State Emergency Service head Andriy Danyk for their assistance on the spot and for coordinating search and rescue efforts.

In a statement on Telegram following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued that “peace without strength is impossible,” noting that the strikes also affected the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions.

“Forcing Moscow to make peace, compelling them to come to a real negotiating table -- all the tools needed for this are in the hands of our partners. We are counting on everything now being voiced by America and Europe toward this goal to be fulfilled,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed on Telegram that the country’s air defenses shot down 288 out of 309 drones, as well as three out of eight Iskander-K cruise missiles, launched by Russia overnight.

The statement said direct hits from five missiles and 21 drones were recorded across the country, including one missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv.

The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, claimed it carried out a coordinated strike overnight on enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, the infrastructure of a military airfield, and a warehouse storing ammunition, missiles, and components for drone production.

“The strike targets were achieved; all designated objects were hit,” the statement said.