Russia Strikes Kyiv Apartment Block, Killing 9 in Third Day of Attacks

Russia launched its third consecutive day of massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, resulting in the destruction of a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv’s Darnytsia neighborhood. The strike killed nine people, including a 12-year-old girl, and injured dozens more, with approximately 20 residents still missing. Ukrainian authorities reported that over 1,560 drones were deployed against population centers since Wednesday, damaging around 180 sites nationwide. The attack coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, prompting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to criticize Moscow for undermining peace efforts during high-level diplomatic talks. While Russia claimed to target military-industrial facilities, the assault heavily impacted civilian infrastructure. British Defense Secretary John Healey condemned the strikes as shocking and accelerated air defense deliveries. This escalation challenges recent suggestions by Trump and Putin that the four-year conflict might be nearing its end, following a brief, fragile ceasefire earlier in May.