KYIV, Aug 28: A major Russian air attack on Kyiv early Thursday, including a rare strike in the city centre that damaged the European Union’s diplomatic offices, killed at least 17 people and wounded 48 more, authorities said.
The bombardment of drones and missiles was the first major Russian attack on Kyiv in weeks as US-led peace efforts to end the three-year war struggled to gain traction.
It also prompted Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, to say she planned to summon Russia’s EU envoy to Brussels. Two of Ukraine’s top envoys were set to meet Friday with the Trump administration regarding mediation.
The Kremlin said Russia remained interested in continuing peace talks despite Thursday’s air attack, which was one of the war’s biggest since it began in 2022.
The attack was one of the few times Russian drones and missiles have penetrated the heart of Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types across the country early Thursday, most of them striking targets in Kyiv.
At least 33 locations across all 10 of the city’s districts were directly hit or damaged by debris, Tkachenko said. Thousands of windows shattered as nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping mall in the city centre.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said two strikes landed 20 seconds apart about 50 meters from the EU Mission to Ukraine building in Kyiv. In response, they are summoning the Russian envoy in Brussels.
The British Council, which promotes cultural relations and educational opportunities, also said its Kyiv office had been “severely damaged” in the attack and was closed to visitors until further notice. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “sabotaging” hopes of peace following the “senseless” strikes.
The Russian ambassador to London was summoned to the foreign office.
Diplomatic efforts to reach peace have stalled Thursday’s attack, making it the first major combined Russian mass drone and missile attack to strike Kyiv since US President Donald Trump met with Putin in Alaska earlier this month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X following the attack that “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.”
Western leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian troops move deeper into Ukraine. (AP)
