Ukraine and Russia have vowed to escalate fighting hours after Moscow unleashed its deadliest bombardment on Kyiv, killing 30 people.
The attack left 91 injured and more than 130 buildings were destroyed. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces would “definitely” retaliate in response to the overnight attacks.
Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, announced a day of mourning in the capital for Friday. He said that damage was recorded across the city of about three million, with some buildings heavily damaged.
Moscow said the attacks were retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia. The Kremlin said Russian military commanders had briefed president Vladimir Putin about the Russian attacks, adding that Moscow would increase pressure to achieve its war aims.
“In total, Russia launched more than 70 missiles of various types against Ukraine overnight, nearly half of them ballistic missiles, along with almost 500 attack drones, including jet-powered ‘shaheds’. The main strike was directed at Kyiv,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky blamed the destruction in part on a failure of allies to deliver promised air defences.
“If our partners had delivered on their promises in a timely manner, I think we could have saved more homes and lives today,” said Zelensky.
