On Wednesday night, Russia launched a large-scale attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing more than a dozen people and injuring others. The attack involved, reportedly, both missiles and drones.
Note: As of this writing, the number of dead has risen to 17.
The attack appears to have been aimed at residential buildings.
Russia launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv overnight, killing more than a dozen people, damaging buildings, and leaving many others wounded in a drone and missile assault. pic.twitter.com/vDmxDYjzqw
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 28, 2025
Four children are reported to be among the dead. On Thursday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky released a statement:
"Right now in Kyiv, first responders are clearing the rubble of an ordinary residential building after a Russian strike," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.
"Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war. And this means that Russia still does not fear the consequences. Russia still takes advantage of the fact that at least part of the world turns a blind eye to murdered children and seeks excuses for Putin," he continued.
While the damage and toll in human lives was shocking, Ukraine claims that only a small fraction of the missiles and drones launched by Russia reached their targets; it appears as though the Russian attack was designed to swamp Ukraine's air defenses.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it knocked down 563 of 598 drones and 26 of 31 missiles launched by Russia in a country-wide attack. It said 13 locations were hit and debris fell at 26 locations.
"Unfortunately, the Russians' style is typical in their attacks," Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, wrote on Telegram.
"Combined strikes, from different directions. And systematic, targeting ordinary residential buildings," the post added.
That sounds pretty typically Russian; when the Russians come at you, they typically come at you with their whole inventory.
Several X posts show the extent of the damage in Kyiv:
Kyiv this morning. There were no military targets. Just people sleeping in their homes. This is what russia is. Anyone that thinks Putin wants peace is detached from reality. pic.twitter.com/452XAAO83Y
— Caolan (@CaolanReports) August 28, 2025
Center of Kyiv, two Russian missiles hit a regular residential area pic.twitter.com/wlvdJLQkYD
— Ihor Lachenkov (@igorlachenkov) August 28, 2025
Obviously, this can't continue.
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It's unclear why residential buildings were targeted, other than simply to terrify the Ukrainian population.
While no cease-fire is in place, one would think that if Russian President Vladimir Putin harbored any serious notions about a peace deal, he would at least order the scaling back of Russian attacks. Since he hasn't, by the day, it looks more and more like his meeting with President Trump in Alaska was at best a delaying tactic to forestall more sanctions, or at worst, a sham. Russia under Tsar Vladimir I seems to show every indication, with acts like this, that they are willing to continue this thing, and whatever optimism came out of the Alaska Summit is sure fading away now.
So far, there has been no reaction from the White House.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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