Kyiv Apartment Block Collapses After Overnight Missile Barrage; 18 Killed, Dozens Injured

Russia’s overnight strike on Kyiv has killed 18 people, injured 48, as rescuers continue digging through the ruins of a five-story residential building in the city’s Darnytskyi district, the Head of the Kyiv city military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, reported on August 28.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported damage across at least 20 locations throughout the capital, including residential buildings, offices, cars, and even a kindergarten.

He said nearly 100 structures were affected. Explosions rang out across the city as Russian forces launched a combined strike using Iranian-made Shahed drones, cruise missiles, and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.

UPD. As of 10:19 a.m. Tkachenko reported that the Russian airstrike killed 12 people, including children aged 2, 14, and 17 years. Rescue operations are ongoing.

UPD2. As of 10:59 a.m. Kyiv City Prosecutors’ Office reported that the number of people killed in the Russian airstrike on Kyiv increased to 14. A 2-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, and a 17-year-old girl were killed in the strike.

UPD3. As of 12:19 p.m., the number of people killed in the Russian airstrike on Kyiv increased to 15.

UPD4. As of 2:51 p.m., Tkachenko reported that 18 people were killed in Kyiv by the Russian overnight airstrike.

In the Darnytskyi district, a missile tore through the third and fourth floors of a five-story apartment block, collapsing part of the structure. Three people have been pulled alive from the rubble, but Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said more may still be trapped. Among the dead is a 14-year-old girl; an 11-year-old child was rescued but remains in critical condition.

Other neighborhoods also suffered significant damage. In the Dniprovskyi district, a 25-story high-rise and several cars were damaged in fires caused by falling debris.

In Solomianskyi, a private home burned after being struck. In Shevchenkivskyi and Holosiivskyi districts, multiple office buildings, shops, and vehicles were hit.

Rescue operations are still underway, with authorities warning more people may be trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment block.

“Right now in Kyiv, emergency crews are working to clear the rubble of an ordinary residential building after a Russian strike. Another massive attack against our cities and communities. Once again, more killings. We already know, sadly, about at least eight dead, including one child. My condolences to all the families and loved ones,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on X.

Across the city, more than 500 emergency responders and 1,000 police officers are deployed, using specialized rescue teams, climbers, canine units, engineers, and robotic equipment to speed up search operations.

During the Russian massive air assault on Ukraine, the Air Defense Forces downed 589 out of 629 targets.

563 out of 598 Shahed-type drones were downed, 1 out of 2 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles was intercepted. 7 out of 9 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 18 out of 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles were shot down as well.

Hits were recorded at 13 locations, with debris falling at 26 locations, according to the Ukrainian Air Forces.

Zelenskyy condemned the strike as further proof that Russia has no intention of ending the war:

“These Russian missiles and drones are a clear response to those around the world who for weeks and months have been calling for a ceasefire and for real diplomacy. Russia chooses ballistics, not negotiations. It chooses continued killings, not ending the war. And this means Russia still feels no fear of consequences,” he said.

The Ukrainian president also called for stronger international sanctions, warning that silence or hesitation only emboldens Moscow.

“We expect a response from China. We expect a response from Hungary. The death of children should provoke much stronger emotions than anything else. And we expect a response from everyone who has called for peace, but now stays silent rather than taking a principled stand. It is long past time for new, tough sanctions against Russia. Russia must feel responsibility for every strike, every day of this war,” Zelenskyy said.

Earlier, a family had been killed in Kharkiv following a Russian strike—a mother, father, their 18-month-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, and the children’s grandmother, according to preliminary data from Serhii Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv regional police investigation department.

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