Kiev hit by ballistic missile attack: at least 12 people killed
Russian ballistic missiles killed 12 people and injured more than 30 in Kiev early Thursday, knocking out power in parts of the Ukrainian capital and damaging many buildings.
**Kiev hit by ballistic missile attack: at least 12 killed**
At least 12 people were killed in a series of Russian missile strikes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and surrounding areas on the night of August 20 and early Thursday morning.
According to Ukrainian emergency services, the "large-scale attack" overnight targeted high-rise residential buildings and warehouses. At least 33 people were injured in the strikes.
The mayor added that missiles also hit an industrial center in Solomyansky district.
Ukrainian emergency services showed video footage of firefighters battling fires and rescuing people from destroyed buildings.
One person was killed and another injured in an attack in the Brovary district of the Kiev region.
The BBC quoted President Zelensky as saying that over a dozen regions across Ukraine had been targeted over the past week, with Russia launching more than 1,550 attack drones, 1,560 guided bombs and 62 missiles.
**Russia itself under attack**
Russia has stepped up its air strikes against Ukraine in recent months, trying to take advantage of Kiev’s acute shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the airstrikes in and around Kiev hit drone parts manufacturing facilities, a military warehouse, a logistics center and other targets.
Ukraine has also stepped up its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, including a recent wave of 600 drone strikes targeting Moscow.
Ukraine has also stepped up its attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure.
At least 16 people, including a young child, have been killed in two separate attacks on Russia this week.
**No progress in talks**
Russia has controlled about a fifth of Ukraine since it launched an offensive against its neighbor in February 2022.
Diplomatic efforts to broker a long-term ceasefire in the war have so far failed.
Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had made proposals to US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on a plan to end the war. He has also repeatedly asked for interceptors to repel missile attacks.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Kremlin had not received any concrete proposals for new meetings with US negotiators. But Moscow is ready to meet soon.
Donald Trump's representatives, Whitkoff and Kushner, were last in Moscow in January this year. They have not yet visited Kiev.