Russian Drones Strike Kyiv’s Government District on January 1, Killing Two Civilians

On January 1, Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv, causing widespread damage and leaving two people dead and seven injured, including two pregnant women.

The attack resulted in casualties and significant damage across two districts, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the Kyiv City Military Administration.

As of 12:20 am, the number of killed had risen to two, seven people were injured, including men and women aged 29 to 79, reported head of Kyiv City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko. Many suffered shrapnel wounds, contusions, and acute stress reactions.

Kyiv police noted, “Among the injured are two pregnant women. Medical assistance is being provided on-site and at hospitals as needed.”

In the Pechersk district, a five-story residential building sustained significant damage, with two upper floors partially destroyed and a fire covering 20 square meters.

Emergency services are currently on-site, conducting rescue and recovery operations.

Rescuers uncovered the body of a woman in the damaged building during rubble clearance, with operations still ongoing, authorities confirmed.

Nearby, the roof of a non-residential building caught fire, and debris caused damage to a section of the National Bank of Ukraine. Although there were no injuries at the bank, upper-floor windows were shattered. “All operational systems and services at the National Bank are functioning without disruption,” the bank stated.

Drone fragments caused fires and damage in the Sviatoshynskyi district, including the destruction of garages, cars, and tram tracks. A fire affected an area of 20 square meters, and tram services were temporarily disrupted as crews worked to restore damaged tracks and repair three trams with shattered glass.

Rescue teams extinguished fires in multiple locations, including a 70-square-meter blaze in a residential building and an 80-square-meter fire in a non-residential structure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the Russian attack on Kyiv on New Year’s Eve, stating that Russia launched 111 attack drones against Ukraine.

“Most of them did not reach their targets thanks to our air defense systems, our mobile fire groups and electronic warfare systems. But, unfortunately, at this time we know about one dead person. My condolences to the family and friends. There are also victims and destruction. All services are involved.”

Earlier, a Russian missile strike targeted Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve, damaging a residential building, killing one person and injuring 17 others.