Kathmandu: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned overnight Russian missile strikes on Kyiv’s main government building as a “ruthless attack,” vowing that Ukraine will deliver an “appropriate response.”
According to Zelensky, at least four people, including an infant, were killed, and more than 44 others injured after residential blocks across the capital were struck. Until now, no government building in Kyiv had been hit during the war, a development that, as a BBC correspondent in the city noted, is likely to shock residents after witnessing smoke and explosions in the heart of the capital.
European leaders swiftly rallied around Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attacks, while French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of “locking itself into the logic of war and terror.”
Moscow, however, claimed its strikes were aimed only at military and related infrastructure.
The escalation comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western nations against sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after any potential ceasefire agreement, saying such a move would risk direct confrontation.
–BBC