UPDATE 4 - Death toll from Russian attack on Kyiv rises to 18, damage reported across city

UPDATE DEATH TOLL; ADDS DETAILS, REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 18 people, including four children, were killed in a Russian attack on Kyiv early Thursday, with officials confirming damage across all districts of the Ukrainian capital.

The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA), Tymur Tkachenko, said rescuers had unblocked another body, raising the death toll to 18. “We have 33 locations with consequences, rescuers are involved in 18. We have a record – damage in all areas of the city,” he wrote on Telegram.

He added that in the Holosiivskyi district alone, up to 80 houses were damaged.

“Now the task is to urgently issue funds from the material reserve. And we will send additional resources to help,” Tkachenko said, noting that field offices of the State Migration Service and a mobile service center of the Interior Ministry have been deployed to assist residents.

Work is ongoing to restore gas and electricity supplies in several locations, according to the KMVA.

Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko announced that Friday, Aug. 29, will be a day of mourning in Kyiv to honor the victims.

“Tomorrow, August 29, has been declared a day of mourning in Kyiv. In memory of the victims of the massive enemy attack on the capital,” he said on Telegram, adding that flags will be lowered on municipal and state buildings, while entertainment events will be banned.

Earlier in the morning, officials had reported 14 deaths and 48 injuries. The Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office said the consequences of the attack were recorded in eight districts, including Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, Solomyanskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Holosiivskyi, Obolonskyi, Svyatoshynskyi, and Desnyanskyi.

In the Darnytskyi district, part of a five-story residential building was destroyed, and rescue operations are underway to search for people trapped under the rubble. Windows in nearby high-rise buildings were shattered, cars were damaged, and private homes sustained destruction, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Meanwhile, Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, confirmed that the EU Delegation building in Kyiv was severely damaged by the shock wave.

“Russia’s ‘peace’ last night: a massive strike on Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles … The EU Delegation was severely damaged by the shock wave. This is Moscow’s true answer to peace efforts,” she said through the US social media company X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike “a horrific and deliberate killing of civilians,” confirming that children were among the victims.

“The Russians are not choosing to end the war, only new strikes. Overnight in Kyiv, dozens of buildings were damaged: residential houses, office centers, civilian enterprises. Among them also the building where the European Union Delegation to Ukraine is located,” he said.

He accused Moscow of rejecting diplomacy, stressing: “These Russian missiles and attack drones today are a clear response to everyone in the world who, for weeks and months, has been calling for a ceasefire. Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.”

Zelenskyy called for strong reactions from countries including China and Hungary, and urged “new, tough sanctions against Russia for everything it is doing.”