KYIV, UKRAINE – In a dramatic and chilling escalation of its war on Ukraine, Russia has for the first time struck a key government building in the heart of Kyiv, drawing a furious condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The “ruthless attack,” part of a massive aerial assault that saw Russia launch its largest barrage of missiles and drones of the war, has brought the conflict to the very center of the nation’s political life.
The attack unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, as a record-breaking number of Russian munitions—totaling over 800 drones and 13 missiles—rained down on cities across Ukraine. In Kyiv, an air-raid siren blared for over 11 hours as air defenses intercepted a majority of the projectiles. But some got through, with one striking the roof and upper floors of the Cabinet of Ministers building, a historic structure that houses the offices of Ukraine’s top ministers.
“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” President Zelensky said in a statement on social media. “The world can force the Kremlin’s criminals to stop killing; all that is needed is political will.”
The strike on a building that had been spared throughout the war is a clear message from Moscow. It comes just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for peace talks in Alaska, which failed to yield a breakthrough. For many, the attack serves as a stark signal that Russia has no intention of de-escalating the conflict.
The human cost of the barrage was immediate and tragic. Ukrainian officials reported at least four people killed nationwide, including a young woman and an infant in Kyiv, whose bodies were pulled from the rubble of a residential building. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the damaged government building as emergency crews battled a blaze on its upper floors.
While a spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had struck “high-precision weapons” and “no strikes were carried out on other objects within the boundaries of Kyiv,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted a video of the damage on social media and vowed, “We will rebuild the buildings, but lost lives cannot be returned.”
As investigators sift through the wreckage of both the government building and residential areas, the attack has reignited international outrage and fresh calls for tougher sanctions on Russia. For the citizens of Kyiv, who have grown accustomed to the daily reality of war, the strike on their government’s headquarters is a grim reminder that no part of their country is safe, and that the fight is far from over.