Smoke rises from Kyiv government building after Russian strike

Emergency workers extinguish a fire in an apartment building that was damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv. ( REUTERS)

A plume of smoke was seen rising from the roof of Kyiv’s Cabinet of Ministers building on Sunday following a large-scale Russian drone and missile strike, reported AP.

It was not immediately confirmed whether the smoke came from a direct hit, which would mark an escalation in Moscow’s air campaign. Until now, Russia has largely refrained from striking government buildings in Kyiv’s city centre, the report said.

Ukrainian officials said the attacks left three people dead, including an infant, and injured 18 others, while setting fire to scores of buildings in the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a fire broke out at the government building after drones began striking, followed by missile attacks, reported Reuters.

The drone strikes killed the infant and a young woman, while a pregnant woman was among the five hospitalised. An elderly woman also died in a bomb shelter in Darnytskyi district, to the east of the Dnipro River, the mayor said.

State emergency services reported fires in residential buildings in Darnytskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts, with several floors partially destroyed. Falling drone debris also sparked fires in other multi-storey apartment blocks. Social media posts from emergency officials showed smoke and structural damage, including crumbling facades and partially collapsed floors.

Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, accused Russia of “deliberately and consciously striking civilian targets” on Telegram.

Dozens of explosions were reported in central Ukraine’s Kremenchuk, cutting power in some areas, according to Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi. In Kryvyi Rih, strikes targeted transport and urban infrastructure but caused no injuries, said regional military head Oleksandr Vilkul. In Odesa, civilian infrastructure and residential buildings were damaged, with fires reported in multiple apartment blocks, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.

Poland activated its own and allied aircraft to ensure air safety in western Ukraine, the operational command of the Polish armed forces said. Moscow did not immediately comment.

Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians, though thousands have died since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

*With agency inputs