The roof and upper floors of Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv have been damaged in a Russian attack, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. “The roof and upper floors have been damaged due to an enemy attack. Rescuers are extinguishing the fire,” the Prime Minister stated on Telegram, publishing images of flames erupting from the facade of the imposing government seat.
The assault was part of a massive overnight barrage that saw air raid alarms sound across Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense forces reported intercepting a record 747 Russian drones and four Iskander-K cruise missiles out of 823 total projectiles launched. The attacks targeted 37 localities, killing at least four people and injuring dozens nationwide. In Kyiv alone, the emergency services reported two killed and 18 wounded, with several capital skyscrapers also damaged.
The strike on the government headquarters prompted swift international condemnation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that “Russia seems more interested in increasing the ferocity of its attacks… than in a negotiated path to end hostilities,” affirming Italy’s continued support for Ukraine alongside Western partners.
French President Emmanuel Macron held a long phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attacks “with the utmost firmness,” calling them a “new escalation” that demonstrates Russia has “no intention of peace.”
Concurrently, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced readiness for a “second phase” of sanctions against Russia and Vladimir Putin. A U.S. Treasury official indicated readiness to collaborate with the EU to impose secondary sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil in an attempt to “collapse” Moscow’s economy.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, stated that “future dialogue on Ukraine is still rather difficult.”