Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy demanded accountability from Moscow on Friday as he paid respects at the site where a Russian missile devastated a residential apartment complex, claiming the lives of 24 people, including three young children.
Emergency crews concluded their search efforts at the destroyed building, which suffered the attack during what officials described as Russia’s most intense aerial bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in 2024.
“Our first responders … worked non-stop for more than a day,” Zelenskiy posted on the Telegram messaging platform following his visit to the attack location in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, situated on the left bank of the Dnipro river, where he laid flowers and spoke with emergency personnel.
“The Russians practically levelled an entire section of the building with their missile,” he stated.
Moscow launched its comprehensive military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, and Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia deployed over 1,500 drones and numerous missiles in coordinated attacks throughout the country during two straight days this week.
Western Ukraine, located far from active combat zones, experienced six fatalities during Wednesday’s bombardments.
“A Russia like this can never be normalized – a Russia that deliberately destroys lives and hopes to remain unpunished. Pressure is needed,” Zelenskiy declared, renewing his requests for international partners to assist Ukraine in bolstering its aerial defense capabilities.
DAY OF MOURNING IN KYIV
Municipal leaders in Kyiv designated Friday as an official day of remembrance for the casualties, ordering national flags lowered to half-staff throughout the metropolis of three million residents. All recreational activities were either canceled or delayed.
The Interior Ministry reported that emergency response efforts at the residential complex continued for over 28 hours, with hundreds of rescue personnel examining 3,000 cubic meters of debris.
Municipal authorities confirmed that 24 bodies were retrieved from the wreckage while approximately 30 individuals were pulled out alive. Close to 50 people sustained injuries, and roughly 400 residents needed mental health assistance, according to interior ministry officials.
Zelenskiy stated that preliminary investigations indicated a newly manufactured Russian Kh-101 missile was responsible for hitting the residential structure.
Moscow has not provided immediate response regarding the apartment building attack. Russia maintains it does not intentionally target civilian populations, though throughout more than four years of conflict, it has repeatedly struck residential complexes and other non-military infrastructure in aerial campaigns throughout Ukraine.
