Russia Bombs Kyiv Homes, Killing 6 Including Child
Russia fired a lethal missile and drone strike at Ukraine's capital overnight, killing at least six and wounding over 50. A 6-year-old child was among the fatalities. Ukrainian officials indicated more than two dozen targets around Kyiv were struck. A nine-story residential tower partially collapsed in the Solomianskyi district, with civilians trapped under the wreckage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy verified that the attack directly targeted a residential building. While that was going on, US President Donald Trump gave Russia a new August 8 deadline for negotiations, threatening retaliatory sanctions and tariffs if Putin does nothing.
The attack hit deep into the urban areas of Kyiv. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko affirmed that 27 sites in the city were hit. The worst destruction fell upon the Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts. Part of a large residential tower block collapsed following a direct missile hit.
Rescue teams hurried to the site to dig out survivors from the debris. Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, "Missile strike. Directly on a residential building. People are under the rubble. All services are on site."
Photos from the scene revealed mangled metal, broken glass, and clouds of black smoke. The impact was so powerful that locals were seeing clothes suspended from trees near the site.
Despite a police warning, residents went back to the scene in the hope of recovering their belongings. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko were also at the site.
In Washington, his fellow US President Donald Trump reacted forcefully. Trump laid down a tough deadline of August 8 for visible progress toward peace by Russia. Unless Russia acts, the US would issue crushing sanctions and tariffs, Trump warned.
Trump accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of delaying. Western leaders also suspect that Putin wants to occupy more Ukrainian land in the guise of slow-moving peace processes.
This deadline also adds pressure not only to Moscow but also to US allies, following Washington's every step closely.
This attack is not another escalation. Russia is ready to bomb civilian neighbourhoods to hold onto its battlefield advantage. The fact that a child was among the dead highlights the brutality.
In the meantime, the US warning portends a change. Trump's tariff diplomacy is now accompanied by a human crisis. His deadline of August 8 puts it on the line.
The West now has to determine if words are sufficient or if action needs to accompany them. For those Ukrainians who are excavating rubble today, time becomes resoundingly loud.
