Kyiv under fire: ballistic missiles hit the capital, at least 5 killed

A deadly Russian attack on Kyiv: at least five people were killed and more than two dozen were injured early this morning, Thursday, after Russian ballistic missiles hit the capital of Ukraine. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that people were trapped in one of the residential buildings, fires broke out in several locations, and damage was also caused to warehouses, other facilities, and a children's hospital. Parts of the city were left without electricity. In the district surrounding the capital, another fatality was reported.

A difficult night in Kyiv: Russian ballistic missiles hit a series of locations across the capital of Ukraine, leaving behind dead, wounded, and extensive damage. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least five people were killed in the city and more than two dozen were injured. At the same time, an official source reported that another person was killed in the Kyiv district. A Reuters eyewitness reported hearing more than a dozen explosions during the attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the impacts caused damage to buildings throughout the city. People were trapped in one of the residential buildings, and fires broke out in several locations. The damage was not limited to residential buildings. According to Klitschko, non-residential facilities, warehouses, and a children's hospital were also hit during the night. In addition to the direct damage, parts of Kyiv were left without electricity supply following the attack. Ukraine's emergency services released footage showing personnel struggling with a fire that broke out in a building and helping people escape from structures destroyed during the night.

The attack led to activity outside Ukraine's borders as well. Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union that shares a border with Ukraine, announced that it had begun defensive air operations designed to protect its airspace. The move comes against the backdrop of repeated missile and drone attacks in the context of the war, during which countries bordering Ukraine monitor threats that could approach their territory.

The strike on Kyiv occurs while diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war continue. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this month that Kyiv had passed proposals to American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a plan that would bring an end to the fighting. Zelensky also called time and again for additional interceptor missiles, designed to allow Ukrainian air defense systems to deal with attacks of the type that hit Kyiv tonight.

On the Russian side, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the Izvestia newspaper that Moscow had not received concrete proposals for holding new meetings with the American mediators. However, she clarified that Russia would be willing to organize a meeting on short notice. Witkoff and Kushner recently visited Moscow in January, but according to reports, have not yet arrived in Kyiv.