Russian forces launched what Ukraine’s military described as the largest air assault of the war on Sunday, firing a mass of drones, decoys and missiles that struck dozens of locations across the country, damaged the Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv and killed at least two people.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia used 810 drones and decoys in the strike, including at least 13 missiles. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 747 of the drones and four of the missiles. Authorities reported that nine missiles and 54 drones registered hits across 33 locations and that debris from intercepted targets fell in eight other places.
At least two people were killed and 20 were wounded in Kyiv, officials said; total nationwide casualty figures were not immediately available. Images from the capital showed explosive damage to a government building and at least one residential structure. Police blocked access to the Cabinet of Ministers building as firefighters and ambulances responded.
“For the first time, the government building was damaged by an enemy attack, including the roof and upper floors,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. “We will restore the buildings, but lost lives cannot be returned. The world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but with actions. There is a need to strengthen sanctions pressure — primarily against Russian oil and gas.”
The Cabinet building, which houses the offices of Ukraine’s ministers, had not previously been targeted in strikes on Kyiv, where Russian forces have often avoided direct hits on central government facilities. Emergency services worked through the day to assess structural damage and tend to the wounded.
The strike came amid conflicting signals about diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow for security talks, a proposal that arrived as missile and drone barrages pummeled Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian officials did not immediately accept the invitation.
The Kremlin has periodically floated offers of talks during the conflict, which began after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but previous invitations have not resulted in sustained negotiations. Western and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that any meaningful talks would require concrete changes on the battlefield and guarantees about Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The scale of Sunday’s attack renewed calls from Ukrainian leaders and some Western politicians for tougher economic measures aimed at constricting Moscow’s war funding. In the United States, former President and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called on European leaders last week to stop purchasing Russian oil, arguing that energy revenues finance the war. The European Union has sharply reduced its Russian oil imports since 2022 but has not entirely ended energy trade with Moscow.
Ukrainian air defenses have repeatedly intercepted large numbers of drones and missiles in recent months, and officials said the high interception rate limited what could have been far greater destruction. Still, the latest barrage exposed vulnerable infrastructure and disrupted daily life in multiple regions.
Officials in Kyiv and other affected areas were compiling damage assessments and casualty reports. Local authorities cautioned residents to remain vigilant for falling debris and to follow civil defense instructions.
The strike is the latest in a string of high-intensity attacks and follows periods of both heavy fighting and intermittent diplomacy. International reactions were expected as governments reviewed the scale of the assault and considered possible additional measures, including sanctions targeting energy exports.
Further details about the attack, the full toll of casualties and any decisions by Kyiv in response to Putin’s invitation were pending as emergency crews continued recovery operations and officials gathered more precise information.
