KYIV – The Ukrainian capital marked an official day of mourning on Friday, following a Russian drone and missile strike that claimed the lives of 31 individuals, including five children, and left over 150 injured, authorities reported.

The youngest victim in Thursday’s strikes was 2 years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

This incident marked the highest count of child casualties and injuries in a single attack on Kyiv since aerial bombardments began in October 2022, according to casualty statistics provided by The Associated Press.

The number of fatalities increased overnight as rescue teams continued to search through debris. The assault destroyed a significant portion of a nine-story apartment complex in the city, while over 100 additional structures, including residences, educational institutions, medical facilities, and universities, were damaged, according to officials.

In recent months, Russia has heightened its assaults on Ukrainian urban centers, disregarding appeals from Western leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, to cease targeting civilian regions after more than three years of conflict.

Russian military forces continue to engage in a relentless war of attrition along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) frontline, with gradual territorial advances over the past year resulting in the loss of thousands of soldiers on each side.

Ukraine wants more sanctions on Russia

Zelenskyy noted that in July, Russia deployed over 5,100 glide bombs, more than 3,800 Shahed drones, and nearly 260 missiles of various categories, including 128 ballistic ones, against Ukraine.

He repeated his appeal for countries to impose heavier economic sanctions on Russia to deter the Kremlin, as U.S.-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction.

“No matter how much the Kremlin denies (sanctions’) effectiveness, they are working and must be stronger,” Zelenskyy said.

His comments Friday appeared to be a response to Trump’s remarks the previous day, when the Republican president said the U.S. plans to impose sanctions on Russia but added, “I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine also called for an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting to be convened Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in an effort to push Putin into accepting “a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”

Russian forces bear down on a key eastern Ukrainian city

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the strategic hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is making a concerted push to break through defenses after some 18 months of fighting.

Zelenskyy said that Russian claims of capturing Chasiv Yar on Thursday were “disinformation.”

“Ukrainian units are holding our positions,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening. “It is not easy, but it is the defense of Ukrainians’ very right to life.”

Even so, the Institute for the Study of War said that Ukraine’s hold on the key city is weakening.

“Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine’s fortress belt — a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine’s defensive positions” in the Donetsk region, the Washington-based think tank said.

Ukraine has tried to pressure the Russian army by striking rear areas with long-range drones that target rail networks, oil depots and arsenals.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that air defenses shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. More than half were destroyed over Russia’s Belgorod region on the country’s border with Ukraine, it said. Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said that one person was injured.

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