Russia launched what Ukrainian officials described as the largest air strike of the full-scale war on Ukraine early Sunday, deploying some 810 drones and decoys and firing at least five missiles in an assault that struck more than 30 locations and included the first-ever direct hit on Ukraine’s central government headquarters in Kyiv.
Ukrainian authorities said four civilians were killed in the barrage, including a mother and a 2-month-old baby. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, speaking to the New York Post, called the attack evidence of Moscow’s “disdain” for recent international pushes for talks and said the strike underscored the existential nature of the conflict for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted a majority of the unmanned aircraft, shooting down 747 of the drones and decoys, and also intercepted at least some of the missiles. The assault began late Saturday and continued into Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, who reported damage across the country.
The strike on the government headquarters occurred at about 6 a.m., officials said, tearing a hole through the top two floors of the building that houses several offices, including that of the prime minister. Svyrydenko said the blast produced a large fire that required three helicopters to help extinguish and that firefighters and rescue teams responded to multiple scenes in Kyiv.
"That child was not even able yet to say, ‘Mama,’" Svyrydenko said, describing the infant victim. She said the attack on the government building was unprecedented during the current invasion and amounted to an effort to target Ukraine’s sovereignty and future.
Svyrydenko criticized recent diplomatic efforts that she said sought to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter negotiations. She said the Kremlin had demonstrated through the strikes that it was not prepared to abandon military aggression.
"It was for the first time during the full-scale invasion, they attacked a headquarter of the government," she said. "It required us to take three helicopters to be able to know to fight with a fire in such a way."
The prime minister urged the United States and European partners to increase pressure on Moscow by halting purchases of Russian oil and imposing secondary sanctions on countries that continue to buy it. She also called for sanctions on Russian defense production and other sectors that could enable the continuation of the war.
Svyrydenko pointed to a string of recent attacks she said followed a meeting between President Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska last month. She and other Ukrainian officials have interpreted a series of strikes since that meeting, including an attack two weeks ago that Ukrainian authorities said killed 25 civilians, as evidence that Moscow did not intend to negotiate a cease-fire.
"He showed his disdain, his scorn for peace negotiations," Svyrydenko said of Putin, adding that Ukraine wants a cease-fire but that Moscow alone can end the invasion.
Ukrainian emergency services and local authorities continued to assess damage and casualties across affected regions on Sunday. International responses to the attack were not immediately available; Western governments have previously condemned Russian strikes on civilian targets and provided Kyiv with military, financial and humanitarian support since the invasion began.
Ukrainian officials said air defenses remained active and credited them with preventing higher losses, but they reiterated appeals for increased sanctions and energy-sector pressure on Moscow to curtail Russia’s capacity to wage the war.
The New York Post first reported remarks from Svyrydenko; details of the strikes and casualty figures were provided by Ukrainian officials and state agencies and have not been independently verified by international monitors.