Emergency crews in Kyiv recovered additional bodies on Wednesday from the wreckage of a nine-story apartment building, raising the confirmed death toll to 28 following a devastating Russian missile strike. The building, located in the city’s Solomianskyi district, suffered a direct hit and collapsed in what has become the deadliest Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital so far this year.
Authorities reported that 23 of the victims were inside the residential building at the time of the strike. The remaining five fatalities occurred elsewhere in the city as a result of the broader assault.
Rescue workers have been operating around the clock, employing cranes, excavators, and even digging with their hands to clear debris and search for survivors. Sniffer dogs have been deployed to aid in the search for those still buried under the rubble. The missile impact shattered windows and blew out doors in neighboring buildings, creating a large radius of destruction.
The missile strike occurred overnight between Monday and Tuesday and was part of a massive aerial barrage. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in one of the most intense bombardments of the war, which has now entered its fourth year. Russia’s ongoing summer offensive has escalated long-range attacks, striking civilian residential zones across the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
Despite the scale of the assault, international peace efforts appear to be faltering. U.S.-led initiatives to broker a resolution have yet to gain momentum, as global attention shifts toward growing tensions in the Middle East and U.S. trade disputes. Ukrainian officials have reiterated their calls for increased diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia.
In response to the tragedy, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv condemned the missile attack, calling it a direct contradiction to diplomatic efforts. “This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump’s call to stop the killing and end the war,” the embassy posted on social media platform X.
Kyiv officials declared Wednesday an official day of mourning. Local residents placed flowers on a children’s playground directly across from the destroyed apartment building. One father waited there for hours on Tuesday as emergency teams worked to retrieve the body of his 31-year-old son.
Psychologists from Ukraine’s emergency services have been on-site, providing support to survivors and grieving families. “Some people are simply in a stupor. They can’t move,” said Karyna Dovhal, one of the counselors. “People are waiting for their sons, brothers, uncles... Everyone is waiting.”
Valentin Hrynkov, a 64-year-old maintenance worker at a local school, lived on the seventh floor of an adjacent building that withstood the blast. He and his wife were injured — she by shrapnel, he by broken glass — and trapped in their apartment for 30 minutes before being rescued.
“I felt completely helpless. It was a primal fear,” Hrynkov told the Associated Press. “I was especially scared to sleep last night. A car drives by and I cover my head. It’s terrifying.”
By early Tuesday morning, residents from surrounding buildings were seen huddling in entryways on the ground floors, seeking shelter from continued drone strikes that occurred every few minutes. The persistent threat forced firefighters and rescue workers to temporarily suspend operations.
Friends and family of the apartment’s residents gathered outside throughout the day, some in tears, others calling out names, holding on to the hope that more survivors could still be pulled from beneath the debris.
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