Kyiv Apartment Strike Signals Urgent Need for Ceasefire \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A devastating Russian missile strike on a nine‑story apartment block in Kyiv killed 23 occupants and left dozens more injured. President Zelenskyy visited the site, urging international partners to intensify pressure on Moscow to enforce a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Russia launched its heaviest drone and missile barrage this year as peace negotiations falter.
Quick Looks
- Deadliest Kyiv assault in 2025: 28 killed across the city, 142 wounded.
- Zelenskyy visit & tribute: Placed flowers, appealed on Telegram to “feel the real cost.”
- Massive bombardment: Over 440 drones and 32 missiles used in barrage.
- Peace talks stalled: Putin spurned US ceasefire offer tied to Ukraine’s mobilization and weapons imports.
- Prisoner swaps continue: Ukrainian POWs returned, many held for years; more exchanges planned.
Deep Look
A harrowing Russian missile strike reduced a nine-story apartment block in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district to rubble early Tuesday, marking the most fatal assault on Ukraine’s capital so far this year. The strike, part of a broader and intensifying campaign by Moscow, left 28 people dead citywide and injured 142 more, according to Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the apartment complex site on Thursday morning. They laid flowers in solemn tribute to the 23 individuals killed in that single building collapse, highlighting the immense civilian toll inflicted by Russia’s ongoing aerial offensive.
In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy framed the tragedy as a grim reminder of Moscow’s resistance to peace. “This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing,” he wrote, further urging Ukraine’s international allies to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin. “We thank all our partners who are ready to make Russia feel the real cost of the war.”
The missile strike was part of a massive barrage aimed at overwhelming Ukrainian air defense systems. Over 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched in a coordinated assault, which President Zelenskyy described as one of the largest bombardments since the war’s inception on February 24, 2022. The sheer scale of the attack underscored Moscow’s renewed aggression and growing defiance amid diplomatic impasses.
Russia’s summer offensive continues to span the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, pressing Ukrainian forces on multiple battlefronts. Meanwhile, U.S.-led peace initiatives have stalled. A 30-day ceasefire proposal—championed by former U.S. President Donald Trump—was recently brushed aside by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He set conditions that Kyiv and Western allies deemed unacceptable, including a halt to Ukraine’s mobilization and the cessation of Western arms supplies.
Despite mounting international concern, Putin denied targeting residential neighborhoods during a press conference with global news agencies in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. “All our strikes are aimed at military infrastructure, not residential quarters,” he asserted, contradicting widespread reports and video evidence documenting civilian destruction.
Nevertheless, the Kremlin leader reiterated his openness to negotiations. He referenced a previous round of peace talks in Istanbul that resulted in prisoner swaps and the exchange of fallen soldiers’ remains. He again claimed that Zelenskyy lacked legitimacy after his presidential term expired—a notion Ukraine and its allies firmly reject.
That sentiment has done little to inspire confidence in Russia’s willingness to pursue genuine dialogue. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, writing on X (formerly Twitter), accused the Kremlin of manipulating peace narratives. “It has been exactly 100 days since Ukraine unconditionally accepted the U.S. peace proposal… 100 days of Russia escalating terror against Ukraine rather than ending it,” Sybiha wrote.
Meanwhile, symbolic acts of diplomacy continued on the ground. On Thursday, another round of prisoner exchanges took place in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KSHPPV) confirmed that many of the repatriated Ukrainian soldiers had suffered severe health issues stemming from prolonged captivity. Several had been imprisoned since the 2022 siege of Mariupol, and negotiations for future exchanges are already in progress.
Russia’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the swap, releasing footage showing its returning servicemen arriving in Belarus. President Zelenskyy hailed the operation, emphasizing Ukraine’s unwavering commitment to securing the freedom of all its captured defenders. “We are working to get our people back,” he posted. “Our goal is to free each and every one.”
On the military front, Russia continued its night-time assaults across Ukraine, deploying 104 Shahed and decoy drones on Wednesday night. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or disrupted 88 of them, with the remainder either lost from radar or evading systems. No immediate casualties or damage reports were filed from the overnight strike.
This latest escalation comes amid shifting global attention, as conflicts in the Middle East and economic tensions—such as U.S. tariff disputes—distract from Ukraine’s plea for increased diplomatic and economic isolation of Russia. Ukrainian officials continue to stress that peace is only possible with firm, unified pressure on Moscow.
In the face of mounting destruction and diplomatic stalemate, Kyiv’s leaders are doubling down on efforts to rally global support, emphasizing that the path to peace lies in holding Russia accountable for its ongoing military aggression and its continued targeting of Ukrainian civilians.
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