Sir Keir Starmer has accused Vladimir Putin of “sabotaging peace” after Russian forces struck a British Council building during an overnight blitz in Kyiv.
Shocking video footage shared online reveals the moment two missiles hit the building on Zhylyanska Street at 5.40am on Wednesday.
The British Council, which offers English writing and speaking programmes to Ukrainians, said its facilities were “severely damaged” and a night guard injured.
A property housing the European Union’s delegation to Kyiv was also damaged in the mass drone and hypersonic missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital, which has killed at least 15 people and injured dozens.
Among the dead were four children, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said, with number of fatalities expected to grow.
“Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end,” said Sir Keir, the Prime Minister.
The Foreign Office summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin over the strikes, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy saying: “The killing and destruction must stop.”
It marks the first significant attack on the city since US president Donald Trump met with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month to pursue an end to the war.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said explosions were first heard around 9.30pm local time (7.30pm BST) on Wednesday, with air defences activated around midnight (10pm BST).
British Council office damaged in Kyiv
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 28, 2025
The agency reported significant damage, closing the office until further notice.
Verified video footage from The Telegraph shows a Russian missile striking the building on Zhylyanska Street this morning. The British Council office is on… pic.twitter.com/Mh85NE48ea
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, confirmed that nearly 100 buildings are damaged, including a British Council office.
“Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end,” said Sir Keir, the Prime Minister.
“Everything is destroyed,” Mr Tkachenko said, adding that a five-storey residential building in the city’s Darnytskyi district was directly targeted.
Vlodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said the Kremlin had chosen "ballistics instead of the negotiating table".
Writing on X, Zelensky reiterated the need for "new, tough sanctions" on Moscow.
More than three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fighting on the ground shows no sign of abating despite recent peace talks between Trump and Putin.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, is meeting Ukrainian representatives in New York this week, telling Fox News "we talk to the Russians every day".
The United States will reportedly offer Ukraine a NATO-style pact without the need for them to officially join the military bloc.
But Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has warned that handing over Ukrainian territory such as the Donbas to Russia as part of a peace treaty was a "trap".
On Tuesday, Zelensky met Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff in Kyiv, where they discussed the need for ceasefire.
