Twelve bodies recovered overnight and in the morning, bringing death toll to 28 in Russian attack on Kyiv

Search operations have been completed at a nine-storey residential building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyy District that was partially destroyed in a Russian strike on June 17, 2025, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. 

According to Klymenko, the search and rescue operations in Kyiv’s Solomianskyy District lasted for over 39 hours. The dismantling of the building structures continues.

“Sadly, 23 bodies were recovered from under the rubble at this location alone. In total, 28 people were killed and over 140 injured in the Russian strike on the capital on 17 June,” Klymenko wrote.

The Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation said it had targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complexes and that all its targets had been hit.

It is one of the largest bombardments of Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion

Klymenko reported that a variety of buildings had come under Russian attack in that Russian attack, including residences, critical infrastructure, and educational facilities.

Kyiv’s authorities reported that a 62-year-old US citizen was among those killed. Later, the New York Times reported that Oregon native Fred Grandy, according to his family, was upset by the United States’ reversal in its support for Ukraine. He arrived in the Ukrainian capital in late May 2025 and volunteered to clean up the rubble left by Russian attacks, family members said.

Fred Grady

“He was a person who wanted to make a difference so badly,” said his sister Sietska Reed, 75, who lives near Bend, Oregon. “I talked to him about five days ago, and he told me that he felt he was right where he should be. And he was hoping he could stay for five or six months more and help.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko accused Russia of firing cluster bomblets filled with ball bearings to kill as many people as possible.

Visualisation of the BBC News

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia’s most recent wave of strikes “pure terrorism”. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of carrying out the large-scale strikes “solely because he can afford to continue this war”.

“It is bad when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to this,” he said, adding, “It is the terrorists who should feel the pain, not normal, peaceful people.”

Zelenskyy had been hoping to speak with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday, but Trump cut short his stay.

BBC News pointed out that the news will come as a blow to Zelenskyy and his administration, which had been hoping to secure US support at the conference for Ukraine’s strategic and military goals.

Nevertheless, the UK and its allies are expected to announce additional sanctions on Russia on Tuesday in continued efforts to sustain pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

By way of background, the war in Ukraine has not ended 24 hours after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, as he promised. His further attempts to facilitate an unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have also failed.