Four killed, dozens wounded as Russia pounds Ukraine with drones, missiles

Russia launched its largest air attack on Ukraine early Sunday, killing at least four people and setting fire to the government’s cabinet building in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the strikes would only prolong the war.

It was the first time the cabinet of ministers, a key government complex in central Kyiv, was hit since the war began. Reporters at the scene saw the roof burning and smoke rising over the capital. Emergency crews battled the flames, while helicopters dropped water on the building.

Drone and missile strikes also damaged residential buildings. Two people — a mother and her two-month-old baby — were killed when their apartment block was hit. A pregnant woman gave birth prematurely after being injured, and doctors are fighting to save her and the baby. In total, at least four people were killed and dozens wounded. Seven horses also died at a riding club in the suburbs.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired at least 810 drones and 13 missiles between Saturday night and Sunday morning, the highest number since the war began in February 2022.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said: “We will rebuild the buildings, but we cannot bring back lost lives. Russia kills our people every day.” She later posted a video showing damaged offices inside the cabinet building.

Russia denied targeting the government complex, claiming it only struck a plant and a logistics hub.

The attack drew condemnation across Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen all accused Moscow of escalating the war instead of seeking peace. Von der Leyen wrote that the Kremlin was “mocking diplomacy,” while Starmer said the “cowardly strikes” showed Vladimir Putin was not serious about ending the conflict.

Zelensky spoke with Macron after the attack, saying France would help Ukraine strengthen its defenses.

The assault comes as the United States and European countries continue efforts to find a peace deal. Some European nations have said they are willing to deploy troops to enforce any future agreement, but Putin has warned that any foreign soldiers in Ukraine would be treated as targets.

On the front lines, Russia captured another village in the Dnipropetrovsk region and continues to hold about 20 percent of Ukraine.

After three and a half years of war, tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions displaced, and vast areas of Ukraine destroyed — making it Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War I