Russian strike kills 3 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy faces pressure at home | Russia-Ukraine war News
Russian Missile Strike on Kyiv Injures Multiple Civilians Amid Political Turmoil
At least 14 of the 20 people wounded in the strike on Kyiv have been hospitalized, officials say.
KYIV, Ukraine — A ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, late Tuesday resulted in the deaths of at least three individuals and left 20 others injured, according to local officials. The assault occurred shortly after midnight, shaking buildings and sounding alarms across several districts.
Explosions struck the Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi districts. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a nine-story residential building in Solomianskyi collapsed and caught fire due to the attack. The mayor noted damage to a nearby children’s hospital, with shattered windows and burning vehicles on the premises.
“People are trapped” in one of the residential buildings, Klitschko stated. He also indicated that parts of both the Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi areas experienced power outages.
Ukraine’s Air Force had issued warnings of incoming Russian ballistic missiles before the attack commenced. Klitschko advised residents to seek shelter as the threat of further missiles persisted.
Among the injured, 14 individuals were confirmed to have been hospitalized following the strike.
The missile attack came on the heels of Ukraine’s parliament confirming Yevhenii Khmara as the new defense minister, with lawmakers approving his appointment 312-2, exceeding the necessary 226 votes.
Khmara, a career intelligence officer, previously headed the Alpha unit of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). He played a pivotal role in Operation Spiderweb, a significant drone operation targeting Russian territory last year. In a statement to parliament, Khmara vowed to “do everything to defend Ukraine and to reduce Russia’s war potential.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the confirmation as vital for strengthening Ukraine amid ongoing conflict. However, opposition lawmaker Solomiia Bobrovska criticized the decision to transition Khmara from intelligence to defense, despite acknowledging his capabilities.
Khmara’s appointment fills the vacancy left by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was dismissed amid a conflict with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskii, who was later replaced as well.
The political landscape has grown tumultuous, with Fedorov recently releasing a video prior to Khmara’s confirmation, advocating for elections in the midst of the ongoing war, highlighting a “systemic crisis of governance.”
Protests erupted in Kyiv on Wednesday in support of Fedorov’s calls for renewed leadership, with several demonstrators expressing concerns about the lack of dialogue between the government and the populace as well as the feasibility of holding elections during wartime.
Under current Ukrainian law, elections are barred during wartime, and there has been little public pushback against this restriction since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. Zelenskyy’s presidential term, which ended in May 2024, has seen the nation postpone its electoral processes due to ongoing martial law.
