Ukraine rescuers pull dead from rubble of Kyiv flats after massive Russian strikes

At least seven people have been killed, including a 12-year-old girl, in Kyiv after Russia launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital and other regions, officials have said.

The victims' bodies were pulled from the rubble of a partially destroyed apartment building in Kyiv, where rescuers are searching for at least 20 people feared missing, Ukraine's emergencies service said.

Dozens more have been wounded in the attack, including two children, the city's mayor said. Twenty-one people are being treated in hospital.

It marks the third day in a row Ukraine has reported deaths, as Moscow ramps up its assault after a three-day ceasefire expired on Monday.

The overnight barrage saw more than 670 drones and 56 missiles targeting the country, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. This is among the largest attacks Russia has mounted since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The strikes hit more than 180 sites across Ukraine, including more than 50 residential buildings, Zelensky added.

He said a "significant number" of Russian drones and missiles were shot down, with an "overall interception rate" of 93%.

"There must be a just response to all these strikes," Zelensky said, calling for allies to hold Moscow accountable and keep global sanctions in place.

Andrew Kravchenko / Bloomberg via Getty Images

In Kyiv, a search and rescue operation began early Thursday to look for people under the rubble of a nine-storey apartment block in the south-western Darnytskyi district.

Police said two men, aged 21 and 30, and a woman, who has not yet been identified, were found dead in the rubble of the building's destroyed entrance.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the body of a 12-year-old girl had been recovered from the rubble of a house nearby.

A man also died in hospital, the city's police added, who had been at a petrol station which came under attack.

More than 1,500 rescuers and police officers are working in the aftermath of Russia's overnight attacks, almost 600 of them in Kyiv, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Dozens of people have been rescued alive from the damaged building and more than 10 people are thought to be missing.

Teams said they had moved more than 20 cubic metres of debris and evacuated five damaged vehicles.

Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters

Near the scene, some residents sat inside tents erected by volunteers and local officials, wrapped in blankets in shock and disbelief.

Iryna Movchan was among those watching the debris being cleared, with tears in her eyes. She had returned to Ukraine after being away for two years for a short visit, and was staying in a nearby apartment when the attack happened.

"The entire building was shaking. It was very scary," she told the BBC at the scene.

"It was so quiet lately that I thought perhaps it was time to move back completely. And yesterday and today, we had such an Armageddon."

Abdujalil Abdurasulov/BBC

The strikes also damaged other residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic and other infrastructure in Kyiv, according to Zelensky, while the mayor said the city's water supply had been disrupted.

The large-scale attack saw Russian drones and missiles fly across much of Ukraine.

Zelensky said seven people were injured in the Kyiv region, 28 in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, and another two in the southern Odesa region.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the country urgently needed "help in strengthening its air defence".

"This is the only way to save our people and our cities," she wrote on social media.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha noted that the attack had taken place during a crucial summit between US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping, and urged the two leaders to exert pressure on Russia.

"I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough leverage over Moscow to tell [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to finally end the war," he said.

Reuters

The latest attacks came shortly after a three-day, US-brokered ceasefire expired late on Monday and as the war has reached a stalemate on the vast frontline.

Both Russia and Ukraine reported multiple violations during the truce - mostly along the frontline - but no large aerial attacks.

It coincided with Russia's annual Victory Day parade, which went ahead without incident after being scaled back for fear of a potential attack. Putin suggested afterwards that the war could be drawing to a close.

But Russia resumed its attacks on Tuesday, killing nine people. Six more people were killed in another major attack on Wednesday, which Ukraine's air force said saw 892 drones launched from Russia.

On Thursday morning, Zelensky said a total of more than 1,560 Russian drones had targeted Ukrainian cities since Tuesday night.

He described Russia's huge assault as "definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end", and urged Ukraine's allies not to remain silent.

In a separate development in Kyiv, a court has ordered 60 days' pretrial detention for Zelensky's former right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, over a corruption scandal.

The court said he could be released on bail of $3.2m (£2.4m) with an electronic tag.

Yermak has been named by Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies as a suspect in a money-laundering scheme involving a $10.1m luxury construction project outside Kyiv.

His lawyer has described the allegations as "baseless".

After the hearing, Yermak denied the accusations against him and said he would appeal: "I'm staying in Ukraine. I have nothing to hide."

Yermak also stated that he did "not have that kind of money" for bail, but he would seek funds "among friends and acquaintances".