Ukrainian authorities reported that a significant Russian strike on Kyiv resulted in at least four fatalities and left 80 individuals injured. The attack caused damage to numerous residential buildings, several schools, and a water supply facility, while a market was destroyed by fire.
Vanya, a 13-year-old Kyiv resident whose apartment sustained damage, shared his anxieties with UNICEF staff at the scene, stating, “I just really hope my neighbours and friends are alive.” UNICEF characterized the assault as a “terrifying night for children and families”.
“Awakened by the Horrors of War”
Matthias Schmale, a senior UN official in Ukraine, described how he and his colleagues, like many Kyiv residents, were awakened by “terribly loud sounds of war” in the middle of the night. Schmale noted that debris from the attack, which lasted approximately seven hours, caused fires throughout the city. “Civilians are living with immense risks as a result of this relentless violence,” he stated. “This widening pattern of civilian harm must stop.”
WHO Offices Hit in Overnight Assault
The offices of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Kyiv were among the structures hit during the overnight attack. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported via social media that debris from the strikes damaged windows on the third floor of a building housing multiple UN agencies. No casualties were reported in this incident. Tedros reiterated the WHO’s calls for a ceasefire, urging an end to attacks on health facilities and civilians. “Peace is the best medicine,” he added.
