KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed a massive overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital that killed at least 12 people, including three children, and injured 38, local officials said early Thursday.
The combined strikes were the most significant to hit Kyiv since President Donald Trump intensified his push for an end to the Kremlin’s war, an effort that has stalled in the past week. A total of 629 drones and missiles were fired at the country overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, one of the largest of the war.
The overnight attacks show clearly that Russia has chosen “ballistics over the negotiating table,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “All deadlines have already been missed; dozens of opportunities for diplomacy have been spoiled.”
The three children killed in the attack were aged 2, 14 and 17, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration.
The Russian strikes hit more than 20 location across Kyiv, damaging homes and leaving about 60,000 residents without power, officials said.
Several powerful explosions were heard by NBC News in the center of Kyiv, a rare occurrence in the heart of the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Rescuers were pulling out people trapped underneath the rubble, with the toll expected to rise.
Zelensky reiterated his call for “new tough sanctions” against Russia, hoping the U.S. might target Putin’s economy to force him to the table.
While Trump has given the two sides more time despite little sign of urgency from the Kremlin, Ukraine has itself been targeting Russian oil infrastructure in a bid to up the pressure.
Russia has meanwhile intensified its aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities. In July, a massive strike on Kyiv killed at least 31 people, the deadliest attack on the capital since this year.
Ukraine acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that Russian troops had entered the eastern-central region of Dnipropetrovsk, but said they were pushed back as fighting continued near two villages.
Daryna Mayer reported from Kyiv, and Peter Guo from Hong Kong.