Kyiv, Ukraine – Russia launched its most extensive aerial assault on Ukraine to date early Sunday, killing at least two civilians and igniting a fire at Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers building in the heart of the capital. The attack follows fresh pledges by Western allies to bolster security commitments in Ukraine—moves the Kremlin has sharply condemned.
According to Ukrainian officials, the overnight barrage involved over 800 drones and at least 13 missiles, marking a significant escalation in the nearly four-year conflict. The Ukrainian Air Force described it as the largest coordinated airstrike since the war began in February 2022.
The cabinet of ministers building, a central government complex in Kyiv, was struck for the first time during the war. Dramatic images from the scene showed flames and thick black smoke pouring from the roof. Emergency crews worked through the early morning hours to control the blaze, while helicopters were seen dousing the building with water from above.
“The roof and upper floors were damaged due to an enemy attack,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement on Telegram. “Rescuers are extinguishing the fire. We will restore the buildings. But we cannot bring back lost lives.”
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry confirmed that a residential high-rise in western Kyiv was also hit during the assault. Prosecutors said the strike killed a woman and her two-month-old son, and injured more than a dozen others. Images shared by Ukraine’s emergency services showed the building engulfed in flames, with windows shattered and smoke pouring from multiple floors.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a separate guided bomb strike killed a married couple, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. Additional damage and casualties were reported across the country, as emergency crews responded to multiple impact sites.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised first responders and air defense forces for their efforts amid the attack. “Our emergency services are operating across the country to save lives and extinguish fires. We will not be broken,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address.
Sunday’s attack came just days after more than two dozen European nations—led by France and the United Kingdom—announced a new initiative to send “reassurance forces” to Ukraine. These deployments are aimed at monitoring and enforcing any future peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian officials have insisted that any ceasefire must be underwritten by a credible Western military presence to prevent future aggression.
However, Russia has rejected the proposal outright. President Vladimir Putin declared that the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine would be considered a direct threat and warned they would become “legitimate targets” for Russian forces.
Moscow’s hardline stance comes amid stalled diplomatic efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose recent attempts to broker a ceasefire have yet to bear fruit. Tensions remain high as both sides brace for a potentially brutal winter campaign.
The war, now entering its fourth year, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. Large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine lie in ruins, and the conflict has reshaped global geopolitics, triggering the most significant security crisis in Europe since World War II.
Sunday’s aerial assault underscores the growing stakes as Ukraine continues to call for more military and political support from Western allies. As the conflict drags on, the prospects for a negotiated peace remain dim—while the cost in human lives continues to mount.
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