Death toll in overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine mounts to 13, over 85 reported injured

Kyiv : At least 13 people were killed and over 85 others wounded after a relentless 11-hour Russian missile and drone barrage battered Ukraine’s capital overnight into Thursday (local time), just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was orchestrating a massive assault.
According to CNN, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko confirmed the mounting toll, stating that 13 people had been killed in the assault. Emergency crews worked continuously through the night to reach survivors trapped inside heavily hit structures.
The expansive overnight bombardment triggered widespread destruction across 30 distinct locations in the capital. The casualties included at least one child, alongside multiple emergency personnel who were injured when an ambulance substation was hit, CNN reported.
“There have been very significant direct hits on residential buildings, where, unfortunately, the bodies of the deceased are being recovered from under the rubble,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, according to CNN.
On the other hand, CNN reported that the Russian Ministry of Defence acknowledged the large-scale operation, stating that its military launched a “massive strike using high-precision, long-range weapons”, including drones, targeting military and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions.
However, Ukrainian authorities firmly disputed the Kremlin’s operational narrative, presenting evidence that the strikes intentionally flattened civilian neighbourhoods and non-military sites, CNN reported.
Following the devastating assault, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha took to social media to issue an urgent appeal to international allies, pleading for immediate deliveries of air defence systems and missiles, increased sanctions pressure, and critical energy assistance.
In a post on X, the Foreign Minister fiercely condemned the strikes as grave war crimes, warning that the initial death toll could continue to climb as search operations proceed.
Sybiha firmly pushed back against any attempts to rationalise the Kremlin’s aggression, calling it “immoral” to justify Russian atrocities as retaliation for Ukraine’s long-range strikes.
He underscored that under Article 51 of the UN Charter, a clear distinction must be made between an illegal aggressor and a nation defending its sovereignty, asserting that Ukraine has every right to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia to protect its people.
“#Do not delay decisions on air defense for Ukraine! This is our main request to our partners after Kyiv suffered a night of horror. At least 10 people have been killed as a result of Russia’s brutal attack against the Ukrainian capital with all types of missiles and drones. Sadly, this number may further rise. Rescue teams continue their work. Russia targeted residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. War criminal Putin can only wage a vile and terroristic war against civilians, women and children. Because in his war against Ukraine’s Defense Forces he cannot achieve a single result. Such strikes are grave war crimes and we are informing all partners and international orgnews agencysations about them, calling for accountability and strong responses,” Sybiha wrote on X.
“I also want to particularly emphasise that it is immoral to justify Russian atrocities against Ukrainians by saying that Moscow acts in response to Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia. In this war, there is an aggressor and a country defending itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Russia has no right to make any strikes against Ukraine, while Ukraine has every right to respond, defend from the aggressor, and strike any legitimate military targets in Russia,” he added. Newsagency subscription

The strike came as Ukraine has intensified long-range drone strikes on Moscow, targeted Russian fuel supplies and launched strikes on Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, in an effort to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Speaking in Ireland before returning to Ukraine, Zelensky said, “Putin wants to keep fighting. That is why he must face conditions that make it impossible for him to keep this war going.”
Earlier on June 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned the US over its continued military assistance to Ukraine amid the conflict in Europe, noting that such actions by Washington could lead to “unforeseen consequences” for regional and global stability.