Ukraine hit by Russian drone strikes, Kyiv toll 18 dead

Russian aerial and drone strikes across Ukraine over the past several days have killed and wounded civilians, damaged critical infrastructure and prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to vow retaliation, Ukrainian officials said. At least 18 people were reported killed in a massive overnight strike on Kyiv on Thursday, authorities said, while separate attacks in Zaporizhzhia and on energy facilities in the north and south left additional casualties and nearly 60,000 households without power.

Ukrainian officials described heavy damage in Kyiv, where residential blocks, small businesses, a shopping mall and a highspeed passenger train depot were struck. In one neighborhood a five story building collapsed after being hit from the first floor upward, and a nearby kindergarten and other homes were damaged. Ukrainian leaders said the offices of Ukrainska Pravda and the Kyiv bureau of Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty were also damaged, and a building belonging to the European Union mission to Ukraine was struck; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said two missiles fell within 50 metres of the delegation and that no staff were harmed. Reports on the number of dead...