TWELVE more bodies have been pulled from the rubble after the deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv this year.
Yesterday, an overnight assault by Vladimir Putin on Ukraine’s capital resulted in the deaths of 28 people and left 134 others injured. An EU official cautioned Europeans that they might need to “start learning Russian” if they do not increase their support for Ukraine.
Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, Russia targeted 27 sites in Kyiv, deploying 440 drones and 32 missiles over a span of nine hours, as reported by Ukrainian authorities.
Buildings and critical infrastructure facilities were damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “one of the most terrible strikes on Kyiv”.
On Tuesday, Zelensky stated, “In Kyiv, residents are currently attempting to rescue individuals trapped beneath the debris of a standard residential building. The exact number of people remains uncertain.”
“The Russians destroyed an entire entrance.”
Earlier reports confirmed 15 people dead, including a 62-year-old American citizen.
One missile struck a nine-storey apartment block in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district – demolishing a whole section of the building.
Six bodies were pulled from the debris on Wednesday afternoon.
The updated death toll has risen to 28, as of the latest update on Wednesday afternoon, but people are still missing, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Spokesperson Svitlana Vodolaha said: “We don’t have exact information. The city authorities said some people haven’t been in contact. We know that 35 apartments have been destroyed. The search operation is still ongoing.”
Overnight attacks also struck the Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv regions.
Blasts at the Black Sea port of Odesa killed 2 people and injured 17.
Ukraine marked a day of mourning on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the European Commission announced on Tuesday its plans to stop all Russian fossil fuel imports by the end of 2027.
Regardless of developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, fuel imports – including gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) – will be phrased out.
But Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, says the EU is not doing enough to stop the war – which has raged for over three years.
Speaking in the European Parliament, she warned of Russia’s “direct threat to the European Union”.
“Last year, Russia spent more on defence than the European Union combined,” Kallas said, as reported by The Guardian.
“This year, Russia is spending more on defence than its own healthcare, education and social policy combined. This is a long-term plan for a long-term aggression,” she said.
Kallas urged European officials: “We have to do more more for Ukraine, for our own security too.
“To quote my friend NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: if we don’t help Ukraine further, we should all start learning Russian.
“The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield today, the stronger they will be around the negotiation table when Russia finally is ready to talk.”
It comes as Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv was bombarded overnight with 48 kamikaze drones, missiles and guided bombs, just over a week ago.
The assault killed three people and injured 21.
