Russian Strikes on Kyiv Kill 11, Injure Over 130 Civilians

A building in Kupiansk, Ukraine, lies in ruins following air strikes.

At least 11 civilians were killed and over 130 injured in Russian strikes overnight in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country (HRMMU) reported on Thursday.

Among the confirmed dead was a six-year-old boy. At least 10 of the injured were children, the mission said, and news reports indicate that the figure is rising.

Russia reportedly launched 309 drones and eight cruise missiles during the night. Despite air defences managing to destroy many of them, the damage across the capital was severe.

At least 27 locations across Kyiv were hit, with the heaviest damage in the Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts, where UN rescue efforts are ongoing.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, a missile destroyed part of a nine-storey apartment building.

In the Solomianskyi district, a five-storey apartment building was severely damaged, and at least two people were killed.

UN Ukraine reported that witnesses described their shock at the strike, which happened so quickly that they had no time to seek shelter.

“Homes, businesses, and public buildings are being destroyed, and it may take years to rebuild them. Each new attack compounds the psychological toll on people who have to spend night after night in shelters,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.

More than 100 buildings were reportedly damaged in the capital, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, and universities, according to news reports.

This attack follows a wave of violence both near and far from the frontlines, including weekend assaults that killed at least 20 civilians and injured over 120; a prison attack on Monday that killed 16 inmates; a hospital strike that killed three; and the deaths of five civilians in the east on Tuesday.

This violent pattern continues from June, when HRMMU reported that Russia launched 10 times more missile and loitering munitions attacks against Ukraine compared to June 2024, killing 232 and injuring 1,343.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, stressed on social media that “international humanitarian law must be respected. All efforts must be taken to protect civilians. They are not a target.”