In what marks the deadliest strike this year, Russia has launched a devastating assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, claiming the lives of 16 individuals, among them a 12-year-old child. The barrage of drone and missile strikes has left countless others wounded, painting a grim picture of the ongoing conflict.

As night engulfed the Ukrainian capital, fires raged uncontrollably, casting thick, black smoke into the sky. Firefighters faced a daunting task as they battled the flames consuming various parts of the city.

With the dawn of Thursday, the aftermath was starkly visible. Residents and emergency crews sifted through the wreckage, attempting to clear the debris from severely damaged structures.

The tragedy in Kyiv claimed four lives, including that of the young child, as confirmed by the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko. In Odesa, the toll was even higher, with nine people succumbing to the attacks, while two more were killed in Dnipro. There, the onslaught set residential buildings on fire, further compounding the destruction and loss.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the aggression, emphasizing that the night’s events underscored Russia’s lack of justification for any relaxation of international policies or sanctions. Alongside those who lost their lives, the attacks left a staggering 100 people injured, highlighting the brutal impact of the latest assault.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the night had proven that Russia did not deserve any easing of global ‌policy or lifting ‌of sanctions, with 100 people ⁠wounded alongside those killed.

“There can be no normalisation of Russia as it is today. Pressure on Russia must work. And it is important to fulfil every promise of assistance to Ukraine on time,” he said.

In March, the US temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil that had already been loaded onto tankers for export, with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent describing the move as a “short-term measure” intended to “promote stability in world energy markets”.

The 30-day waiver expired on 11 April and Bessent has said it would not be renewed.

‘Immoral, counterproductive, and dangerous’

Ukrainian air force units shot down or neutralised 31 missiles and 636 drones, but 12 missiles and 20 drones hit in the 24 hours to 7am on Thursday, the air force said.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Oleksiy Kuleba, said rescue operations were ongoing and the toll could rise, while the country’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, urged the international community to act.

“All decisions required to increase pressure on the aggressor ⁠must be unblocked now,” he said on X.

“It is immoral, counterproductive, and dangerous to ‌delay sanctions against Russia or packages of support for Ukraine.”

Klitschko said that Kyiv came under another attack early on Thursday, adding that a drone, flying very low, slammed into an 18-storey building.

Prosecutors put ‌the number of injured in the city at 54.

Klitschko said rescue teams had rescued a mother and child from a building in a central district where the ground floor was badly damaged.

He also said missile debris had hit the sixth floor of an apartment building in the central Podil district.

A large fire had broken out in a building in a district in the north of the capital and four emergency medical workers were injured, while debris had fallen in several locations, Klitschko said.

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