Russian airborne strikes on Kyiv kills 15 people, injures at least 100

UPI

9 hours ago

The aftermath of a missile strike on a nine-story residential building Kyiv's Solomyanskiyi district early Tuesday. Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE
June 17 (UPI) -- At least 15 people were killed and more than 100 injured in Kyiv overnight during an eight-hour long airborne assault by Russian forces, which fired scores of missiles and drones at the Ukrainian capital, authorities said.
Many of the fatalities were in missile strikes on three high rise apartment buildings that collapsed or partially collapsed in Solomianskyi and another central district Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said in a update on social media.
"This night in Kyiv and its surroundings the enemy used 175 drones, more than 14 cruise missiles and at least two ballistic missiles. The nature of the damage -- direct hits on residential buildings. Missiles -- from the upper floors to the basement. We are dealing with a complete enemy," he wrote.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram account that a U.S. citizen, a male age 62, also died in Solomianskyi district in a house opposite where medics were providing assistance to the victims from the partial collapse of a nine-story apartment building. It was unclear if he died of natural causes, or from enemy action.
Three deaths had been confirmed in Darnytsia district on the left bank of the Dnieper River, he added.
Wides swathes of the city came under attack with than two dozen areas sustaining damage, with serious damage in eight districts.
In a video posted online, Klitschko claimed cluster munitions had been found in one area of the city. Use or development of cluster munitions are banned under a 2008 international treaty ratified by 111 countries, although Russia is not one of them. Neither is Ukraine or United States.
Surrounding areas of the capital were also targeted with at least two people reported injured.
At least one person, a 60 year-old woman, was killed and 17 people were injured in a drone strike on the southwestern city of Odessa, according to the regional leader, Gov. Oleh Kiper, who said one woman was missing, feared dead.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the number of injured in Kyiv, Odessa and elsewhere was rising as search and rescue efforts continued with emergency personnel working flat out at all sites of impact.
Zelensky said that in total more than 440 drones and 30 missiles had been used in the attacks which also targeted five other provinces.
"Kyiv has faced one of the most horrific attacks. Also, overnight, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions were attacked. Such attacks are pure terrorism. And the whole world, the United States and Europe, must finally respond as a civilized society responds to terrorists.
"Putin does this solely because he can afford to continue the war. He wants the war to go on. It is wrong when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to it. We are in contact with all partners at every possible level to ensure an appropriate response. It is the terrorists who must feel the pain, not innocent peaceful people," said Zelensky.