Kyiv under Russian bombardment: Casualties, destruction, and civilian suffering
Ukraine came under heavy Russian bombardment during the night, with a child among the three people killed in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials announced early on Thursday. The wave of attacks that fell on the capital caused chaos and destruction, leaving behind casualties and injuries.
Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, described the attack as "massive", emphasizing the scale of the destruction. Military officials confirmed that at least 24 people were injured in the attack. Emergency and rescue teams struggled to reach the victims under the rubble as ambulance sirens filled the city.
Following the shelling, a five-story building in the Darnytskyi district collapsed, turning into a pile of ruins. Witnesses described how the entire neighborhood was shaken by the explosions. In the neighboring Dnipro district, a fire was also reported in a residential building, with flames engulfing a tall building, causing panic among residents.
This new wave of missile strikes comes after more than 100,000 Ukrainian households were left without electricity due to recent Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. These targeted strikes on vital civilian sites have become a recurring element of Russian strategy aimed at weakening civilian morale and testing the resilience of Ukrainian society amid the winter cold and darkness.
- International observers have repeatedly condemned such actions, calling them violations of international humanitarian law, as they do not distinguish between military and civilian targets.
- These attacks not only cause tragic loss of life but are also intended to undermine essential services and cause widespread suffering among the civilian population.