A six-year-old boy was among seven people killed in a Russian combined drone and missile attack on Kyiv on Thursday morning.
Another 50 people have been reported to be wounded in the strike, which saw the destruction of multiple buildings in the Svyatoshynskyi and Solomyanskyi districts of the capital.
The boy was among those who died when a Russian missile hit a nine-storey block of flats in the west of the city. Three other people in the building were also killed and ten are thought to be trapped beneath the rubble with a rescue operation underway.
The Kyiv City Military Administration head Timur Tkachenko confirmed deaths in the Sviatoshynskyi district and in Solomyanskyi.
Local press reported air defences throughout the night of July 30, with the sound of explosions being heard around the capital.
Footage shared on social media shows the extent of the damage in Kyiv. In the video, emergency services can be seen working to rescue people and clear debris amidst thick smoke and rubble.
Rescue efforts continue in several districts of Kyiv at this hour in the aftermath of Russia's attack on the city's civilian population.
— SPRAVDI — Stratcom Centre (@StratcomCentre) July 31, 2025
At this time, there are 52 injured, 2 deaths. Among the victims are 9 children.
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the Helsinki+50 conference this morning.
He said: “Russia keeps launching such attacks, even when the whole world is calling on it to stop the war, a war that Russia started, a war that Russia keeps dragging on, a war that only the Russian leadership wants.”
He added: “If the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means, even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries.”
Zelensky also wrote on Telegram: “The main target of the massive attack was the capital. Significant damage was inflicted on residential infrastructure. An entire section of a residential building was destroyed in one of the residential areas
“Today the world has once again seen Russia's response to our desire for peace, which we share with US and Europe.”
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said nine children were among the injured, a figure he added was the highest for a single attack on the city since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The United Nations have said at least 2,900 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine since the start of the war.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump reduced the deadline for Russia to make peace efforts, giving Vladimir Putin until August 8. Failure to make progress with peace talks will see the US impose sanctions and tariffs on Russia.
