Russia pounds Kyiv with drones, missiles; 14 killed, 30 apartments destroyed in attack
Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv killed at least 14 people and injured 44 others overnight (AP image)
A combined missile and drone attack by Russia on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killed at least 14 people and injured 44 others overnight on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said.
It was one of the deadliest attacks on the city in recent weeks, as Russia steps up its air strikes across the country.
A viral video widely shared online shows a Russian drone crashing into a skyscraper in Ukraine's capital, causing significant damage.
— RpsAgainstTrump (@RpsAgainstTrump)
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said the attack destroyed a residential building in the city, hollowing out a section of the high-rise and reducing dozens of apartments to rubble.
Emergency services worked through the early hours to rescue survivors trapped beneath the debris.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that 44 people have been injured. Among the dead was a US citizen, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, who told the reporters on scene that the individual died after suffering wounds from shrapnel. Klymenko, also warned that the death toll could rise as recovery efforts continued.
The attack, which carried out over several hours with multiple explosions heard across Kyiv, struck multiple residential districts including Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Free P2,000 GCash eGift
UnionBank Credit Card
Apply Now
Undo
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that fires broke out in two additional districts due to falling debris from intercepted drones.
According to officials, approximately 30 apartments were completely destroyed in one residential block alone. The full scale of the damage is yet to be assessed and rescue operations remain ongoing.
The attack coincided with the G7 summit in Canada, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with world leaders to discuss continued international support for Ukraine.
Zelensky was expected to hold bilateral meetings, including one with US president Donald Trump. However, the White House later announced that Trump had returned to Washington earlier than planned due to rising tensions in the Middle East.
Russia has majorly increased the use of drones and missile strikes in recent weeks, following an operation by Ukraine's Security Service that targeted Russian military aircraft at bases located deep within Russian territory.
Little progress has emerged from direct peace talks held in Istanbul, with the exception of prisoner exchanges, expected to conclude next week, said Zelenskyy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
20 minutes ago
- News18
Modi's Canada Visit: A Bid to Mend Ties and Address Global Challenges at G7 Summit
ModiAtG7 | What to expect from PM Modi's first visit to Canada for the G7 summit, first since the strained tiesPrime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Canada to attend the G7 Summit. Leaders of the Group of Seven nations opened their annual summit on Monday against the backdrop of intensifying conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as US President Donald Trump reignited controversy by calling Russia's expulsion from the former G8 a 'big mistake'.Gathering in Kananaskis, a resort town in the Canadian Rockies, the heads of state from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and representatives from the European Union are set to meet through Tuesday. The summit comes at a time when global stability is under strain, particularly from the ongoing wars involving Ukraine and the escalating hostilities between Israel and with Shivani Gupta n18oc_india n18oc_worldNews18 Mobile App -
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
One-by-One: How Iran's Supreme Commander Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lost his top commanders and why his axis is crumbling
This photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, shows Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a televised speech, under a portrait of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini. (AP/PTI)(AP06_14_2025_000001B) In the smouldering wreckage of Israel's aerial blitz over Tehran, one figure cuts an increasingly isolated silhouette—Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader of Iran, suddenly bereft of the generals, spymasters, and strategists who once made up the steel spine of his rule. In a span of mere hours, Iran's most elite military and intelligence commanders were wiped out, marking the most devastating blow to the Islamic Republic's leadership since its inception in 1979. The deaths weren't just symbolic—they were surgical. The head of the Revolutionary Guards. The architect of Iran's missile programme. The chief of military intelligence. The coordinator of national defence. Gone. One by one, the core of Khamenei's advisory ring has been eliminated, shattering the command-and-control structure he built over three decades. The Night the Guard Fell The strikes began just past midnight last Friday. Precision-guided Israeli missiles struck high-value targets in and around Tehran—underground bunkers, communication nodes, airbases—and with them, the men who commanded them. Major General Hossein Salami, the Guards' commander-in-chief, was among the first confirmed dead. A long-time Khamenei loyalist, Salami was more than a military officer; he was the Supreme Leader's enforcer, strategist, and ideological spearhead. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Order New Blinds Online & Get $199 Home Installation Learn More Undo Close behind him, Amir Ali Hajizadeh—the brains behind Iran's drone and missile arsenal—was eliminated in a secondary strike, alongside key deputies while they convened to plan retaliation. Intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi was gone next. Then came the death of General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's armed forces chief of staff, and General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of joint military operations. By Saturday morning, the upper tier of Iran's warfighting architecture had been decapitated. In military terms, it was a blitz of breathtaking efficacy. In political terms, it was an earthquake. The Isolation of the Supreme Leader Khamenei has always ruled through concentric circles of loyalty—clerics, Guardsmen, intelligence officials. Their loyalty was never in question; their effectiveness, tested through wars, uprisings, and assassinations, was what kept the Islamic Republic intact. Now, that circle lies broken. Sources familiar with the workings of Khamenei's decision-making say the inner circle was never institutional—it was relational. These weren't just officers, they were comrades. Men he had fought beside, plotted revolutions with, entrusted the future to. Their loss is not only strategic—it is deeply personal. What remains is a smaller, more fragile apparatus. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has grown in stature over the past two decades, and now emerges as the de facto coordinator of both policy and security. A cleric with no formal title but immense behind-the-scenes clout, Mojtaba is seen by insiders as both successor-in-waiting and chief-of-staff in practice. The old lieutenants who remain—diplomatic veterans like Ali Akbar Velayati and Kamal Kharazi, domestic fixers like Mohammad Golpayegani—now find themselves holding the last threads of a once expansive power structure. The List of Allies Qasem Soleimani Role: Commander, IRGC Quds Force Date of Death: January 3, 2020 Context: Killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad Impact: Architect of Iran's regional proxy wars; his death dismantled the cohesion of Iran's overseas operations. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Role: Chief of Iran's nuclear weapons programme Date of Death: November 27, 2020 Context: Assassinated in Absard near Tehran, likely by Israeli intelligence Impact: Scientific cornerstone of Iran's nuclear ambitions; huge intelligence failure and psychological blow. Mohammad Hejazi Role: Deputy Commander, IRGC Quds Force Date of Death: April 18, 2021 Context: Died suddenly under unclear circumstances amid tensions with Israel Impact: Had been in charge of Hezbollah missile operations; his death weakened Iran's precision-strike strategy. Ali Shamkhani Role: Former National Security Council Chief; Senior Adviser to Khamenei Date of Death: June 14, 2025 Context: Succumbed to injuries after Israeli airstrikes in Tehran Impact: Longtime military and diplomatic strategist; key bridge between clerical leadership and military. Hossein Salami Role: Commander-in-Chief, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Date of Death: June 13, 2025 Context: Killed in Israeli airstrikes on Tehran military sites Impact: Top military commander; central figure in both external conflict and domestic repression. Amir Ali Hajizadeh Role: Commander, IRGC Aerospace Force Date of Death: June 14, 2025 Context: Killed in a second wave of Israeli strikes while planning retaliatory action Impact: Architect of Iran's missile and drone arsenal; his death blunted Iran's retaliatory capabilities. Mohammad Bagheri Role: Chief of Staff, Iranian Armed Forces Date of Death: June 13, 2025 Context: Died in Israeli precision strikes Impact: Top military planner overseeing both IRGC and conventional army operations; loss shattered national defence integration. Gholam Ali Rashid Role: Commander, Khatam al-Anbiya Central HQ (Joint Military Operations) Date of Death: June 13, 2025 Context: Killed during first wave of Israeli attacks Impact: Oversaw strategic military planning; critical loss for wartime coordination. Mohammad Kazemi Role: Head of IRGC Intelligence Organisation Date of Death: June 13, 2025 Context: Died in Israeli strike targeting intelligence facilities Impact: Iran's top spymaster; responsible for internal security and counterintelligence. Gholamreza Mehrabi Role: Deputy Head of Intelligence, Iranian General Staff Date of Death: June 13, 2025 Context: Confirmed dead in coordinated Israeli targeting of Tehran military compounds Impact: Key military intelligence officer overseeing battlefield surveillance and analysis. Hassan Nasrallah (non-Iranian, key regional ally) Role: Secretary-General, Hezbollah Date of Death: September 2024 Context: Killed in Israeli airstrike in Beirut Impact: Strategic proxy and deterrent force against Israel; his death dismantled Iran's first-response deterrent in Lebanon. Bashar al-Assad (non-Iranian, strategic partner) Role: President of Syria Date of Death: December 2024 (Overthrown and later killed by rebel forces) Context: Fell after years of civil war; Tehran failed to keep him in power Impact: Collapse of Iran's military foothold in Syria; severed arms and logistics pipeline to Hezbollah. And Khamenei's losses extend beyond Iran's borders. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, long Tehran's regional ace and one of Khamenei's few true foreign confidants, was killed in a strike last September. Syria's Bashar al-Assad—propped up for years by Iranian guns and gold—was ousted by a rebel uprising in December. The famed 'Axis of Resistance' now lies in fragments, with its anchors in Lebanon and Damascus broken, and its leader in Tehran shaken. With Hezbollah weakened and Syria uncertain, Iran's deterrence posture is severely compromised. Its proxies are scattered, its supply lines disrupted, and its ability to escalate in multiple theatres constrained. For Israel, that's a strategic triumph. For the region, it raises the spectre of an emboldened Iran acting unpredictably. What Comes Next? In Tehran, the government has tried to project continuity. Missile salvos have been fired at Israeli targets. Speeches invoking vengeance have filled state television. But behind closed doors, the regime is scrambling. The new commanders lack the battlefield experience of their predecessors. The intelligence apparatus is disoriented. The regular army, traditionally sidelined by the Guards, may be asked to step in—further complicating the military chain of command. And over it all looms the figure of Mojtaba, untested in war, yet now central to crisis management. For Khamenei, the moment is existential. He has always prioritised regime survival above all else—over ideology, over diplomacy, over economy. That calculus hasn't changed. But with his most trusted men gone, the execution of that survival strategy is no longer guaranteed. As one Iranian insider put it, 'He is cautious. But he is now also alone.' And in the chessboard of the Middle East, there is no lonelier square than Tehran when the generals are gone, the allies are dead, and the war drums are pounding.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Air India plane crash: DNA match confirmed for 162 victims, 120 bodies handed over to families
NEW DELHI: Authorities have confirmed that DNA samples of 162 victims from the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have matched with their family members, and the mortal remains of 120 have been handed over, officials said Tuesday. Earlier on Monday, Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghavi had announced that DNA of 125 victims had been successfully matched and families of 124 deceased had been contacted. He visited the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar, where the identification process is underway. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a hostel complex minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, killing 241 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The aircraft had 242 people on board; only one passenger, identified as Vishwas, survived. Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Superintendent Rakesh Joshi said Vishwas is now stable and recovering slowly. He also confirmed that four students from BJ Medical College lost their lives in the crash, and that toll remains unchanged. One of the victims, Kumar, a British national of Indian origin, was seated by the window near the emergency exit in row 11, officials said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Neurologists Amazed: These Barefoot Shoes Help Seniors Lose Weight and Live a Life with Less Pain Barefoot Vitality Learn More Undo The funeral of former CM Rupani was held on Monday in Rajkot with full state honours. His son, Rushabh Rupani, performed the last rites in the presence of top political leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
