by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s largest overnight air assault of the war, which struck central Kyiv and other areas on Sunday, killing at least four people—including a newborn baby—and setting the Cabinet of Ministers building ablaze.
“These killings, especially now when genuine diplomacy could have started long ago, are deliberate crimes that only prolong the war,” Zelenskyy said.
He warned Moscow that Ukraine was coordinating “diplomatic efforts and contacts with partners to ensure an appropriate response.”
Ukraine’s Air Force reported Moscow deployed some 810 drones and 13 missiles, the largest such assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Authorities said 747 drones and four rockets were intercepted, but falling debris still caused widespread destruction.
In Kyiv, rescuers retrieved the bodies of a mother and her baby from a devastated apartment building. “She had recently given birth. The blast wave threw her into the street… The child was also found dead,” recalled Inna, a neighbor in Sviatoshynskyi district.
Eyewitness Valerii Panchenko described the horror from his building being struck: “I saw one drone, then a second, and then a blast. Shrapnel was hitting everything. My wife and I ran out with the children… There were screams everywhere.”
A major government building in Kyiv was hit for the first time in the war. Worthy News obtained video showing smoke billowing from the Cabinet of Ministers headquarters, where senior ministers work, though officials couldn’t confirm if it was a direct strike or collateral damage. Fire crews extinguished the blaze.
STRIKES BEYOND THE CAPITAL
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said dozens were hospitalized, including a pregnant woman who later gave birth prematurely after being critically injured. Multiple patients remain in intensive care.
The assault also struck other regions across Ukraine, including Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s industrial hometown in Dnipropetrovsk province, where apartment blocks, schools, and commercial buildings were damaged.
Ukrainian cities and regions such as Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Dnipro also reported explosions and damage.
Soon after the massive assault, international condemnation was swift. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “These cowardly strikes show that Putin believes he can act with impunity. He is not serious about peace. Now, more than ever, we must stand firm in our support for Ukraine and its sovereignty.”
French President Emmanuel Macron accused Moscow of “striking indiscriminately” and asserted that Russia is “locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror.”
U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, signaled readiness to intensify sanctions to pressure Russia toward negotiations.
As rescue operations continued nationwide, Zelenskyy warned: “Every missile, every drone, every victim is proof that Russia does not want peace,” despite U.S.-backed efforts to alter the course of history.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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