Russian attack on Kyiv kills 25, including four children and injures at least 52 people
At least 25 people, including four children, were killed and at least 52 others were injured in a wave of attacks on Ukraine’s capital on August 28, 2025, BBC News reported with reference to Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian military said Russia’s attack involved almost 600 drones and more than 30 ballistic and cruise missiles, marking its first combined attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
Russians destroyed a five-storey residential building in the south-eastern Darnytskyi district on Kyiv’s left bank.
A missile tore through the block of flats at about 03:00, causing it to collapse.
Diggers removed rubble, and rescue workers clambered on top of smouldering parts of the building looking for survivors.
The British Council’s offices, which promote cultural relationships and educational opportunities between the UK and other countries, were also “severely damaged.” It said a worker at its office was injured in the attack and is in a stable condition in the hospital.
The head of the European Union’s executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has spoken of her outrage at Russia’s deadliest onslaught on Kyiv since July. She stated that Russian missiles struck in close proximity to the EU’s delegation office in the Ukrainian capital: “Two missiles hit in a distance of 50m (165ft) of the delegation within 20 seconds.”
The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has said the attack showed Russia had made a “deliberate choice to escalate and mock the peace efforts”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has accused Russia of “sabotaging hopes of peace” with its “senseless” attacks.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia had “shown its true face again,” and the EU delegation’s coming under fire was an indication of the Kremlin’s increasing brazenness.
Speaking on the shelling of Kyiv, U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt drew a parallel between Russian oil refineries as military targets and civilian houses in Ukraine.
According to Leavitt, she had a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump about the recent Russian attack, and he was “not happy with the news, but he was not surprised.”
“You’re talking about two countries that have been at war for a very long time,” she said. “Russia launched this attack on Kyiv. And likewise, Ukraine recently hit Russian oil refineries. In fact, throughout August, they’ve taken out 20% of Russia’s oil refining capacity,” she commented.
Ukraine urges the international community to unite to restore global security under the UN Charter and strengthen sanctions against Russia to enforce this country’s compliance with international law. Following Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, Ukraine has pursued the liberation of its territories within its internationally recognized 1991 borders while developing comprehensive reintegration strategies and policies for all liberated areas.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry urged countries to increase pressure on Russia and provide more air defense systems after a large-scale Russian attack killed at least four children.
“We urge our partners to immediately provide Ukraine with additional air defense capabilities to protect Ukrainian airspace, long-range strike capabilities to target Russian military facilities used by the aggressor to launch attacks against our state, and additional military aid packages,” the ministries’ statement reads.
The ministry also called for increased pressure on Russia through additional sanctions, including tariffs “that will strike Russia’s military economy and make it impossible for Russia to continue financing the war.”
