Russia hits seat of Ukraine govt in war’s biggest air attack

Russia hits seat of Ukraine govt in war’s biggest air attack

Russia fired its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine early yesterday, killing four people and setting the seat of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv ablaze in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky warned would prolong the war.

The attack was the first to hit Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers, a sprawling government complex at the heart of Kyiv.

Drone strikes also damaged several high-rise buildings in Kyiv, according to emergency services.

Russia has shown no sign of halting its three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine, pushing hardline demands for ending the war, despite efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal

European condemnation

Russia, which denies targeting civilians in Ukraine, said it had struck a plant and a logistics hub in Kyiv.

Its defence ministry said ‘’no strikes were carried out on other targets within the boundaries of Kyiv”, explicitly denying responsibility for the government building strike.

Police cordoned off the area surrounding the building, the roof and upper floors of which sustained damage.

“We will restore the buildings. But we cannot bring back lost lives. The enemy terrorises and kills our people every day throughout the country,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.