Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia launched one of its biggest airstrikes of the war late Saturday into Sunday, sending more than 800 drones and 13 missiles throughout Ukraine and starting a fire at the Cabinet of Ministers facility in Kyiv. He also said that four of the missiles were ballistic and that, based on what he knew at the time, a number of drones crossed the border between Ukraine and Belarus.
Zelenskyy said ordinary residential blocks in the capital were torn open, with floors between the fourth and eighth stories collapsing in one building. He said that at least two people, including a child, had died in Kyiv and scores more had been hurt. He said that the Cabinet of Ministers building was damaged after a fire on the upper floors. A residential high-rise in Odesa was hit, and more than 20 homes and a kindergarten were damaged in Zaporizhzhia. Warehouses were destroyed in Kryvyi Rih, and one person died in Safonivka in the Sumy region and another in Chernihiv. He remarked, “Every extra [air-defense] system keeps civilians safe from these horrible strikes.”
Officials reported that Ukrainian rescue workers worked all night because debris and falling wreckage started secondary flames. Independent news reports and pictures from Sunday revealed that the capital was badly damaged and that this was the first recorded attack throughout the war that caused major damage to a central government structure. As inspections continued, wire services and local authorities reported at least four deaths and many injuries around the country.
Zelenskyy stated that the attack was an attempt to prolong the war, which he said “could have already begun long ago.” He urged partners to put into place the penalties that had been talked about in previous meetings and to speed up the delivery of air-defense equipment. He remarked, “The world can make the criminals in the Kremlin stop the killings; all it takes is political will.”
Within hours, politicians from around the world spoke out against the strikes.
• Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, said that the attack on government buildings in Kyiv showed that “attempts to appease” Russia don’t work. He called for the US and Europe to “together force Russia to accept an immediate ceasefire.”
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Union, said that Europe “will continue to fully support Ukraine.” She promised stronger sanctions and long-term security assurances.
• Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, warned that Russia was “locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror.” He also stressed that Europe would maintain striving for a “just and lasting peace.”
• Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for international affairs, said that every Russian attack is a “deliberate choice.” She said that the attacks on Sunday, including one on a government facility in Kyiv, are part of a “clear pattern of escalation.”
• Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that “805 Russian drones and multiple missiles” were launched “in just one night.” She also warned, “Freedom cannot be bombed into surrender.”
• Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, spoke out against the “killing of civilians and severe damage to infrastructure.” He said that Russia’s promise of peace is “meaningless when the attacks continue and get worse.” ([X
• Petteri Orpo, the Prime Minister of Finland, spoke out against strikes that “targeted residential buildings” and urged for more pressure and penalties on Russia.
President Maia Sandu of Moldova said the incident “killed innocents, including a baby,” and that Moldova stands “firmly with Ukraine against this terror.”
• Edgars Rinkēvičs, the President of Latvia, said that the message from Moscow is “clear—Kremlin wants war, not peace.” He called for “more weapons to Ukraine, more pressure on Russia.”
Zelenskyy also praised NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for his sympathies and for working with allies following the incident. He said that a coordinated reaction is very important as Russia steps up its attacks on cities and civilian infrastructure.
Authorities were still counting the dead and injured and checking for structural damage in Kyiv as of noon on Sunday. Major news sites said that the fire at the government compound was put out, but it was still unclear whether the structure was hit directly or if debris from interceptions overhead caused damage. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attacks were directed at military-industrial and transportation infrastructure. Officials in Kyiv said that Moscow was intentionally hitting civilian installations.
The attack that happened tonight came after weeks of increasing attacks. Virginia Times previously reported late Saturday that air-raid sirens sounded across multiple regions as swarms of Shahed-type drones were launched toward Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and parts of Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials told people to stay indoors while air defenses were activated.
Zelenskyy reiterated a push for new sanctions and faster air-defense deliveries, arguing that “every additional system” reduces the human toll. European leaders echoed that line, with calls for deeper restrictions aimed at Russia’s war economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump and the White House had not issued an immediate public comment on Sunday’s strikes at the time of publication.
What comes next will hinge on repair work in Kyiv and other cities, potential retaliatory actions, and whether sanctions and air-defense pledges are translated into near-term protection for population centers. For residents who spent the night in shelters, the more urgent question was simpler: when the next wave will come.
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