Russian drone and missile barrage kills eight in Ukraine

Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine early Monday, killing at least eight people, including six in the capital, Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 352 drones — including Iranian-designed models — and 16 missiles were launched in the assault, some of which he said were supplied to Russia by North Korea.

"Everyone in countries neighboring Russia, Iran, and North Korea should seriously consider whether they can protect lives if this coalition of murderers continues spreading their terror," Zelensky warned.

Among the fatalities were four people killed in Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district, where a portion of a high-rise apartment building collapsed. Another person was killed in Bila Tserkva, just south of the capital, and three others died in separate Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine.

AFP journalists in Kyiv reported hearing the distinct buzz of drones overhead, followed by explosions and gunfire. “Another massive attack on the capital, possibly several waves of enemy drones,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the death toll and damage in Kyiv and Bila Tserkva.

During the attacks, residents in central Kyiv sheltered in basements, scrolling on their phones for updates as explosions echoed above.

Zelensky Visits UK as NATO Summit Looms

The deadly strikes came as President Zelensky arrived in the United Kingdom to discuss defense cooperation and sanctions against Russia ahead of an upcoming NATO summit in The Hague later this week.

Diplomatic negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain frozen. The last direct talks took place nearly three weeks ago, with no new sessions scheduled.

Ukraine Vows to Ramp Up Attacks

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky pledged to intensify Ukraine’s military efforts against Russian targets, saying the country must go beyond defense.

“Staying purely on defense yields nothing — it only leads to losses in people and territory,” he said. “We will continue our strikes and increase their scale and depth.”

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian military and energy sites, including those far from the front lines. Kyiv maintains these are justified responses to Russia’s ongoing bombardments of civilian areas and infrastructure.

In addition to the Kyiv attack, four people were killed in an overnight Russian strike on an apartment building in Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine. A separate Russian strike later hit a Ukrainian army training ground, killing three more.

Syrsky acknowledged Russia’s advantage in drone technology, particularly with fiber-optic drones that are difficult to intercept. “Unfortunately, they outmatch us in both numbers and operational range,” he admitted.

He also claimed Ukrainian forces still held 90 square kilometers (about 35 square miles) of territory in Russia’s Kursk region — a result of cross-border operations launched last August. Russia, however, has denied any Ukrainian presence in the area and claimed full control as of April.

Russia currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukraine and has declared four partially occupied regions as part of its territory, in addition to annexing Crimea in 2014.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of sabotaging peace efforts in order to prolong the war and seize additional land.

On Sunday, the Russian military said it had taken control of the village of Petrivske in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukrainian forces reported that Russia launched 47 drones and fired three missiles from late Saturday into early Sunday.