Two people are dead and dozens wounded - including children - after Russia treated Ukraine to yet another 'massive wave' of strikes, because apparently the three-day ceasefire was just a brief intermission before the encore.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko described it as an 'especially difficult night for Kyiv,' where rescuers are currently sifting through the rubble of a residential building that got in the way of a combined missile-and-drone special. Mayor Vitaliy Klychko reported at least 40 injuries, two of them children, with 31 people currently occupying hospital beds they'd rather not be in.
This marks the third consecutive day Ukraine has been adding to its grim casualty count, following the expiration of a US-brokered ceasefire on Monday that everyone apparently agreed to ignore. President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed the overnight barrage included more than 670 drones and 56 missiles - among the largest attacks since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Because why stop at 'massive' when you can go for 'historic'?
In the capital, a search-and-rescue operation kicked off Thursday morning at a nine-storey apartment block that now has an open-air concept it never asked for. Klychko, who visited the scene, counted 18 destroyed apartments and noted the attack had also taken the liberty of disrupting the city's water supply. Zelensky said dozens have been rescued so far, while other residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic, and various infrastructure also got unsolicited renovations.
The drones didn't limit themselves to Kyiv; regions including Kremenchuk, Bila Tserkva, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Odesa also received the Russian 'special attention' treatment. Svyrydenko took to social media to remind everyone: 'Ukraine needs help in strengthening its air defense. This is the only way to save our people and our cities.' Subtle as a missile strike.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the attack 'barbaric' and noted it coincided with a crucial summit between US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping - because nothing says 'peace negotiations' like raining missiles on a residential block. 'I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough leverage over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war,' he said, presumably with a straight face.
The attacks resumed Tuesday after the ceasefire's expiration, killing nine people. Wednesday brought another 892 drones and six more deaths. By Thursday morning, Zelensky tallied over 1,560 Russian drones targeting Ukrainian cities since Tuesday night alone. 'Definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end,' he observed with masterful understatement, urging allies not to stay silent.
In unrelated news that somehow feels related, a Kyiv court ordered 60 days' pretrial detention for Zelensky's former right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, over a corruption scandal involving a £7.5m luxury construction project outside Kyiv. He can be released on bail of £2.35m with an electronic tag - if he can find that kind of cash 'among friends and acquaintances,' since he claims he doesn't have it. His lawyer calls the allegations 'baseless.' Yermak insists he's staying in Ukraine and has 'nothing to hide,' which is exactly what someone with something to hide would say.