Ukraine’s war entered a new phase as the cabinet of ministers building in Kyiv was struck for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed the attack damaged the roof and upper floors, igniting a fire at the heart of government. The unprecedented strike shocked the heavily guarded centre of Kyiv, long considered untouchable. At least four people, including a young woman and her baby, were killed as Russian forces launched more than 800 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight.
Ukraine’s air force reported nine missiles and 56 drones hitting 37 targets, with falling wreckage causing further destruction. Residential blocks in Kyiv’s Svyatoshynsky and Darnytskyi districts were devastated, while Zaporizhzhia suffered 17 injuries and multiple buildings destroyed. Casualties were also reported in Sumy and Chernihiv regions. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “deliberate crimes” and warned Russia was prolonging war instead of pursuing diplomacy, urging stronger international resolve.
Moscow’s defence ministry claimed strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial infrastructure, but the symbolic hit on the government’s central offices underlined Russia’s intensifying offensive. Western leaders, including Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, denounced the escalation, stressing Vladimir Putin’s refusal to seek peace.
