Russian attack on Kyiv kills at least nine as rescue efforts continue

At least nine people have been killed and 24 injured after Russia launched a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv overnight, hitting apartment blocks and other buildings across the Ukrainian capital.

Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said the death toll had risen during rescue operations and warned it was likely to increase further as emergency crews continued searching through the rubble.

Four residential buildings were damaged in the historic Podilskyi district alone, with rescuers pulling survivors from collapsed apartment blocks.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency teams were working around the clock to reach people trapped inside damaged buildings.

"From a building in the Podilskyi district, where a partial collapse occurred, rescuers evacuated 15 people," he said on Telegram. "Three women and six children were taken down from the upper floors."

Ongoing rescue operation 

In the eastern Darnytskyi district, Klitschko said two people were killed after drone debris struck a 25-storey apartment building. Emergency crews were also working to free residents trapped on the upper floors.

A fire broke out in a nearby 30-storey building, the mayor said. The district was among those hit in a large-scale Russian attack last Thursday that killed at least 30 people.

Witnesses reported hearing repeated explosions across Kyiv as air defences tried to intercept the incoming drones and missiles. Images from the scene showed rescuers searching through rubble, carrying injured residents on stretchers and tackling fires in damaged buildings.

Zelenskyy warning

President Zelenskyy had warned residents earlier that a Russian attack was imminent.

As the strikes unfolded, many people took shelter in Kyiv's underground metro stations and car parks, while local officials urged residents to keep their windows closed because of deteriorating air quality caused by smoke from the fires.

The attack also prompted neighbouring Poland, a NATO and EU member, to briefly scramble fighter jets as a precaution.

Russia has intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, launching repeated large-scale missile and drone attacks on Kyiv that have caused heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

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News Ukraine Russia Volodymyr Zelenskyy Kyiv