Russia unleashed its heaviest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, setting the main government building in central Kyiv on fire and killing at least two people, including an infant, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the overnight barrage of drones and missiles struck multiple regions, leaving destruction in its wake across Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, and the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” Zelenskiy said in a post on X, calling on Western allies to urgently bolster Ukraine’s air defences.
In Kyiv, just after sunrise, plumes of thick black smoke rose above the Pecherskyi district as firefighters battled flames engulfing the top floor of the historic government building. Reuters witnesses reported residential areas were also hit, with dozens of displaced residents wrapped in blankets watching as rescue workers pulled survivors from damaged apartment blocks.
Elsewhere, emergency teams raced to extinguish fires and provide medical aid to the wounded. Authorities confirmed at least two fatalities in the capital, including an infant, while several others were injured.
The attack underscores deepening fears in Ukraine and among its allies that an end to the conflict remains distant. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far resisted calls for a ceasefire and appears emboldened by stronger ties with China, further complicating prospects for peace.
International observers say the strike signals Moscow’s determination to maintain military pressure while negotiations stall. With infrastructure under renewed assault, Kyiv has repeated pleas for advanced air defence systems and greater international solidarity.
For many residents, Sunday’s strike marked one of the most devastating mornings since the war began. “We woke up to explosions, the windows shattered, and then smoke filled the air,” said a Kyiv resident outside a damaged apartment building. “We don’t know when this nightmare will end.”
Source: Reuters
