Russian aerial strike on Ukraine kills 6, including 2 children, as kindergarten hit, Kyiv says
LONDON -- Russia overnight launched a heavy air attack on Ukraine -- including striking Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles -- that killed at least six people, including two children, officials said.
It came hours after plans for President Donald Trump’s proposed summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to fall apart, leaving hopes of movement in the coming days towards ending the war once again in tatters.
Russia also directly struck a kindergarten in the eastern city of Kharkiv, according to Kyiv. At least 10 people were injured, including a 5-year-old girl, in the strike, according to Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov.
"There is and cannot be any justification for a drone strike on a kindergarten," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.
At least one drone hit the building where nearly 50 young children were inside, Ukrainian officials said. Many were in a shelter, the local governor said.
Images released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine show firefighters carrying terrified toddlers to safety from the destroyed building.
Forty-eight children were evacuated from the kindergarten, officials said. They are experiencing "acute stress reactions," Zelenskyy said.
Dozens of people also have had to be rescued in Kyiv after Russian drones and debris struck their high-rise apartment buildings.
Zelenskyy noted the attacks showed Russia doesn't "feel enough pressure for dragging out the war."
