Ukraine Invasion: Russian Missiles Strike Kyiv First Time in 3 Weeks; 1 Dead

The strike comes right before meetings of NATO and the G7 this week, with Zelensky set to address both summits

Four Russian missiles struck a residential building and a kindergarten compound in Kyiv.

(Photo: Dmytro Sanin via Twitter/DefenceU)

As many as four Russian missiles struck a residential building and a kindergarten compound in Kyiv on Sunday, 26 June, killing one and wounding six persons, Reuters reported, quoting officials.

Firefighters attempted to put out a fire in a severely damaged nine-story residential building as columns of smoke rose over the central Shevchenkivskiy district, which houses a cluster of universities, art galleries and restaurants, the report added.

Firefighters attempted to put out a fire.

(Photo: Dmytro Sanin via Twitter/DefenceU)

Debris was spread over parked cars outside the building, which developed a crater following the strike.

Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv's mayor, said that two residential buildings were hit in what he called an attempt to "intimidate Ukrainians" before the G7 meeting in Germany, and a NATO summit in Madrid, set to begin on Tuesday, 28 June.

"They (rescuers) have pulled out a seven-year-old girl. She is alive. Now they're trying to rescue her mother," Klitschko said, according to Reuters.

He added, on the Telegram messaging app, that more people are thought to be trapped underneath the collapsed buildings.

Missile Strike Shatters Relative Calm

The missile strikes come at a time when Russian forces in eastern Ukraine were trying to disconnect Lysychansk, following its offensive on its twin city Sievierodonetsk.

Rescuers have pulled out a seven-year-old girl from the debris.

(Photo: Dmytro Sanin via Twitter/DefenceU)

Before Sunday morning's attack, Kyiv did not face any such Russian airstrikes since 5 June.

Following Sunday's attack, the UK announced that it would join its fellow G7 nations Japan, Canada, and the United States in banning Russian gold exports, in an attempt to prevent oligarchs from buying gold to avoid sanctions.

Meanwhile, speaking at the gathering of the G7 countries in Germany, United States President Joe Biden, referring to the missile strikes on Kyiv, said, "it's more of their barbarism."

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said that G7 countries should respond to the latest strikes by the imposition of further sanctions on Russia and providing more heavy weapons to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is expected to address both the G7 and NATO, said that cities as far as Lviv, close to the Polish border, were attacked on Saturday, 25 June.

“This confirms… that air defence systems – the modern systems which our partners have – should not be on (their current) sites or in storage, but in Ukraine,” Reuters quoted Zelenskyy.

(With inputs from Reuters)