Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin accused of escalating war after Kyiv apartment block strike kills nine

Russian president Vladimir Putin is “banking on escalation rather than negotiation,” German chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday after a massive attack on Ukraine and its capital Kyiv flattened an apartment block and killed at least 21 people.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used ballistic and cruise missiles in the attack and launched more than 1,560 drones against Ukrainian population centres since Wednesday.

At least nine people were killed in a devastating strike that destroyed some 18 apartments in one block, with Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reporting that two children were among the dead.

Klitschko declared Friday as a day of mourning for the victims.

Merz said the Russian attacks "speak a different language" to the public statements from Vladimir Putin suggesting the war could be nearing an end.

“Kyiv and its partners are ready for negotiations aimed at a just peace,” said Merz. “Russia, for its part, is continuing the war.”

Kyiv marks day of mourning after 21 killed in brutal Russian strikes

The Ukrainian capital will be observing a day of mourning for the victims of the latest Russian attack that killed at least 21 people yesterday, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Russia carried out its largest aerial attack over a two-day period since the start of its war in Ukraine, pounding the capital Kyiv and other cities with hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia launched a total of 1,567 drones since the start of Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Kyiv was ⁠the main target of the overnight strikes, he added.

Ukraine's State Emergency Services said at least 21 people, including ​three children, ⁠were killed in the capital.

Emergency workers were seen moving carefully across piles of rubble and cutting through concrete at the site of a strike on a nine-storey residential building where an entire section had been destroyed.

“There were people there, children. What happened to them? You have to understand, an entire building collapsed," Alla Komisarova, 74, a pensioner, said on the site of the strike, holding back tears.

“I heard something flying, it's flying nearby... And then there was such a terrible sound, and our house, which is opposite (to the one hit) jumped and staggered,” she said.

Putin 'betting on escalation, not negotiations', German chancellor Merz says after deadly assault

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has condemned Russia's aerial bombardment of Ukraine, saying it contradicts Vladimir Putin's claims to want an end to the war.

"The largest Russian attacks on Ukraine in recent times show that Moscow is betting on escalation of the conflict, not negotiations," he said on X yesterday.

"We continue to stand with Ukraine. Kyiv and its partners are ready for talks on a just peace. Russia, however, continues to wage war," Merz said.

Briefing: What we know on the 1,541st day of Ukraine war

• Kyiv is observing a day of mourning today after a major Russian attack left 21 dead and dozens wounded
• Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia launched 1,567 drones since the start of Wednesday, just days after president Vladimir Putin said the war was "coming to an end”
• At least 180 facilities were damaged by the attacks in Ukraine, including more than 50 residential buildings
• A UN Office for the Coordination of ‌Humanitarian Affairs vehicle came under fire from Russian drones during a humanitarian mission in the southern city of ​Kherson, says Zelensky
• German chancellor Friedrich Merz says Russia’s heavy bombardment showed that Putin was “banking on escalation rather than negotiation”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies