Kyiv and Kharkiv hit by ballistic missiles, killing at least 11 civilians, hours after U.S. treasury leader signals possible easing of Russia oil sanctions (updated)

After U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in an interview with Fox Business that the U.S. administration is considering lifting sanctions on Russian oil, Moscow attacked Kyiv and Kharkiv with ballistic missiles on the night of March 7, 2026. Russians killed 11 people in Kharkiv and injured over a dozen other civilians.

A ZMINA correspondent in Kyiv reported hearing a series of explosions at 01:28 a.m. and 01:41 a.m. local time. Other explosions were heard at 2:24 a.m. and 2:28 a.m. in Ukraine’s capital. 

The Ukrainian Air Force reported in the morning that Russian forces conducted a combined attack on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure facilities. It recorded 509 aerial attack assets, of which 472 were shot down or jammed.

Russia launched the following against Ukraine:

• 2 Zircon hypersonic missiles (0 shot down or jammed)
• 13 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles (8 shot down or jammed)
• 14 Kalibr cruise missiles (11 shot down or jammed)
• 480 drones (453 shot down or jammed)

Ukrainian forces recorded hits from nine missiles and 26 attack drones at 22 locations. Drone debris also fell at five locations.

The Air Force said the main targets of the attack were the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv, as well as Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi oblasts.

In addition, Russia struck a high-rise building in Kharkiv with ballistic missiles. There is destruction and casualties, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, and “Gwara.Media” reported.

“A direct hit by ballistics on a high-rise building in the Kyivskyi District has been confirmed. There is significant destruction and a fire; people may be trapped under the rubble,” the Mayor reported.

Aftermath of Russian ballistic strikes on Kharkiv

At 04:30 a.m., Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov reported that the body of a 65-year-old woman had been recovered from the rubble.

At 05:00 a.m., Terekhov announced that rescuers had discovered the body of a second victim under the debris.

Aftermath of Russian ballistic strikes on Kharkiv

At 06:20 a.m., the Mayor reported that a third deceased individual was found under the rubble of the apartment building.

As of 07:20 a.m., it was known that at least four people were in the house.

Update: At 02:03 p.m., Terekhov confirmed ten people were killed by Russians following their strike on Kharkiv. 

 “A tenth body was found under the rubble of a five-story building,” Terekhov said.

He clarified that only fragments of the eighth victim were recovered from the scene.

According to Terekhov and the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, a primary school teacher from secondary school No. 6 and her son, a second-grade student aged about 7 or 8, were killed in their home in this attack by Russians. 

Authorities also stated that an eighth-grade student (aged around 13-14) from secondary school No. 16 was killed along with her mother.

Prosecutors said Russia struck the building with an Izdeliye-30 missile.

Ten more individuals were injured, including two boys aged 6 and 11, and a 17-year-old girl. Up to ten people may still be trapped under the rubble, likely including a child.

Update: The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on March 9 that rescuers have finished clearing rubble at the site of a Russian strike. As a result of the attack, 10 civilians were killed, including multiple children. Another 16 people were injured, among whom were additional minors.

Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development, stated that Russian attacks on port infrastructure in the Odesa Oblast ignited vegetable oil storage tanks and damaged a grain warehouse.

According to Bessent, the United States is being forced to respond to a critical shortage of raw materials. Previously, on March 6, the United States issued a 30-day permit to India to purchase Russian oil currently on tankers at sea.

“We can lift sanctions on other Russian oil. The Treasury can do something else: there are hundreds of millions of barrels of sanctioned crude oil on the water. Essentially, by lifting sanctions on them, the Treasury can create supply. And we are considering this. We will continue to announce measures to alleviate the market situation during this conflict,” Bessent stated.

Ukraine urges the international community to unite to restore global security under the UN Charter and strengthen sanctions against Russia to enforce compliance with international law. Following Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, Ukraine has pursued the liberation of its territories within its internationally recognised 1991 borders while developing comprehensive reintegration strategies and policies for all liberated areas.

Previously, the Ukrainian OSINT Varta team, in collaboration with the Lex Talionis project, published an interactive map containing data on more than 6,000 enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex and their 1.2 million employees. The interactive map provides descriptions of activities and specific developments for each enterprise, as well as a categorization system that allows filtering by type.