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Russian strikes hit Kyiv metro where hundreds were sheltering Russian strikes hit Kyiv metro where hundreds were sheltering
(about 8 hours later)
At least one person killed in attacks on central Kyiv that also damaged shops, houses and a kindergarten At least two people killed and 15 injured after barrage of drones and missiles target three Ukrainian cities
Russia launched a wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine in an overnight attack on Monday, killing at least one person in Kyiv and hitting a metro station where hundreds of people were sheltering. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “an assault on humanity” after a barrage of drones and missiles hit Ukraine, killing at least two people and targeting a metro station in Kyiv for the first time.
There were fires across the capital and at least six people were wounded. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said rescuers and medics were working on sites in four districts. Ukraine’s president said Moscow launched more than 420 drones and over 20 missiles in its latest overnight attack, which continued into Monday morning. Three cities were bombed – Kyiv, Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk – with 15 injured, including a 12-year-old boy.
Smoke engulfed Lukianivska metro station, in an area that Moscow has repeatedly targeted. The Kremlin has dramatically stepped up its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian towns and cities in recent months, with Kyiv frequently bombed. In recent months the Kremlin has dramatically escalated its aerial campaign against Ukraine, sending record numbers of drones. Data from Ukraine’s air force, first reported by the FT, suggests its swarm tactics are increasingly effective.
“The station’s entrance was damaged as a result of the attack,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Monday, adding that shops, businesses and a kindergarten were also hit. Between April and June about 15% of Russia’s drones reached their targets, compared with 5% in the previous three months, figures suggest. The US has agreed to provide Kyiv with additional Patriot air-defence systems, paid for by Germany and other European allies.
Video shows people standing on an underground platform filled with swirling dust. One woman can be heard sobbing. But it is unclear when they will arrive. On Monday hundreds of people were sheltering in Lukianivska metro station when a drone exploded next to it. Russia has repeatedly targeted the district, which was bombarded along with three others in the capital.
Max, a 32-year-old resident, told the Guardian: “My friend ran to the underground. He called me during the night and said he heard the strike. Part of the building and even the roof tumbled down the escalator. There was smoke billowing on the platform. Smoke engulfed Lukianivska station. Video footage showed people standing on an underground platform filled with swirling dust. One woman could be heard sobbing.
“The station’s entrance was damaged as a result of the attack,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said, adding that shops, businesses and a kindergarten were also hit.
Max, a 32-year-old resident, said: “My friend ran to the underground. He called me during the night and said he heard the strike. Part of the building and even the roof tumbled down the escalator. There was smoke billowing on the platform.
“If you walk around here it’s like hell on earth. During the day it’s OK. When the night starts, it’s always really hard. This is at least the fifth time Lukianivska has been bombarded. Windows are blown out. If smoke can now reach underground, where do we hide?”“If you walk around here it’s like hell on earth. During the day it’s OK. When the night starts, it’s always really hard. This is at least the fifth time Lukianivska has been bombarded. Windows are blown out. If smoke can now reach underground, where do we hide?”
It was another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents. A swarm of drones could be heard buzzing above the city soon after 2am. There were multiple explosions and loud booms, as air defence batteries tried to bring them down. The raid ended three hours later, at about 5am. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, held talks with Zelenskyy on Monday in Kyiv and visited the damaged station. “Shelters themselves are no longer entirely safe, as the metro station next to me, which serves as a shelter for Kyiv residents, became a target of the attack,” he said.
Barrott said French embassy staff spent two hours hiding during the intense attack. He called for pressure to be increased on Russia and said France would allocate an additional €200m (£170m) next year to support Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and economy.
A swarm of drones could be heard buzzing above the city soon after 2am. There were multiple explosions and loud booms as Ukrainian air defence batteries tried to bring them down. The raid ended three hours later, at about 5am.
The western city of Ivano-Frankivsk – hundreds of miles from the frontline – was also badly hit. Its mayor, Ruslan Martsinkiv, said it was the biggest attack since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with several people in surrounding villages hurt. Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.The western city of Ivano-Frankivsk – hundreds of miles from the frontline – was also badly hit. Its mayor, Ruslan Martsinkiv, said it was the biggest attack since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with several people in surrounding villages hurt. Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
The strikes come days after Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Kyiv had proposed a new round of peace talks to Moscow. The strikes come days after Zelenskyy said Kyiv had proposed a new round of peace talks to Moscow.
So far two rounds of talks in Istanbul have failed to result in any progress towards a ceasefire, instead yielding large-scale prisoner exchanges and deals to return the bodies of soldiers killed in the war.So far two rounds of talks in Istanbul have failed to result in any progress towards a ceasefire, instead yielding large-scale prisoner exchanges and deals to return the bodies of soldiers killed in the war.
The Kremlin said this month it was ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine after the US president, Donald Trump, gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal or face sanctions. There is no indication that Putin has changed his maximalist demands, however.The Kremlin said this month it was ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine after the US president, Donald Trump, gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal or face sanctions. There is no indication that Putin has changed his maximalist demands, however.
His spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Sunday that reaching a deal was “not simple” and that Moscow’s “objectives” had to be fulfilled. They include seizing further Ukrainian territory and replacing Zelenskyy and his pro-western government. The Russian president’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Sunday that reaching a deal was “not simple” and that Moscow’s “objectives” had to be fulfilled. They include seizing further Ukrainian territory and replacing Zelenskyy and his pro-western government.
The EU on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions on Moscow that targeted Russian banks and lowers a price cap on oil exports, in an attempt to curb its ability to fund the war.The EU on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions on Moscow that targeted Russian banks and lowers a price cap on oil exports, in an attempt to curb its ability to fund the war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s security services on Monday detained an official from a secret anti-corruption unit on accusations of spying for Russia.
Although Ukraine and Russia have arrested dozens of alleged spies during their war since Russia’s 2022 invasion, espionage cases inside government agencies are rare.
“An employee of the Nabu [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] central office was detained,” the SBU security service said in a statement.
“He worked in the most elite, closed unit, ‘D-2’, and spied for the Russian special services,” it said, without disclosing his name. A video posted by the SBU showed armed men in camouflage hauling the suspect out of a car, pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him.