Russian missile strikes kill 13 in Kyiv, injure over 30

Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv on Friday, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 30, authorities reported. The attacks damaged buildings and severed power to parts of the Ukrainian capital. A fire erupted, and the upper floors of a nine-storey residential block in the Solomianskyi district were destroyed, killing seven people, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who called for Friday to be observed as a day of mourning.

Two other districts also sustained damage, with non-residential facilities, warehouses, a school, and a children's hospital hit. Power company DTEK reported restoring electricity to over half of the approximately 90,000 homes that lost power following the attack. A 45-year-old resident described the destruction of a building that was once there, stating explosions blew out her windows and "nearly killed" her husband.

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There used to be a building here, and now it's gone.

Russia has intensified its air strikes on Ukraine over the summer, attempting to exploit the neighbor's critical shortage of interceptors for ballistic missiles. The Russian defense ministry claimed Moscow attacked Kyiv and the surrounding region with air strikes and drones, hitting facilities producing drone components, a military depot, and a logistics hub, among other targets.

In response, Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to undermine Moscow's war-fighting capabilities. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to achieve a lasting ceasefire since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. A drone crashed into Romania, a NATO and EU member, during the Russian attack on Ukraine, according to the Romanian defense ministry. Another drone crossed Moldova's airspace.

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There used to be a building here, and now it's gone. She had only just reached her children's room after the air raid alert sounded when explosions rang out, blowing her windows out and "nearly killing" her husband.