Ukraine: Russian aerial strikes leave seven dead in Kyiv

At least six of those who died were in a high-rise building in the capital, Kyiv's mayor Vitaliy Klitschko told BBC, adding that 22 others were injured in the city.

Kyiv Independent reported that explosions were heard and kamikaze drones were seen flying overhead from around 1 a.m.

Louder explosions from ballistic missiles were heard an hour later, with the attack lasting around 3.5 hours in total, the news portal said.

The newspaper report said the largest damage was reported from  Shevchenkivskyi district where a fivve-storey building partially collapsed.

The UN Security Council met on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, where intensified fighting continues, affecting new areas and prompting further displacement.

“As we are facing renewed escalation on the ground and crisis elsewhere, it is critical to maintain focused attention on the urgent need for peace in Ukraine,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča – one of two senior officials briefing the ambassadors.

In the three weeks since the Council last met on Ukraine, Russia has carried out unrelenting large-scale attacks on cities and towns, resulting in a significant rise in civilian casualties.

Deadly Kyiv Attack This Month

A combined drone and missile attack on the capital Kyiv overnight on 16-17 June was one of the deadliest there in a year. At least 28 civilians were killed and more than 130 injured. Many others are still reported missing under the rubble of the 35 apartments destroyed that night.

Attacks also reportedly occurred in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kyiv provinces that same night, with two civilians reportedly killed and scores injured in Odesa.

“These levels of death and destruction risk dimming hope for an immediate ceasefire and threaten to undermine prospects for a lasting peace,” he said.

‘Dramatic Increase’ In Casualties

Data from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, reveals that at least 13,438 civilians, including 713 children, have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Another 33,270 civilians have been injured, including over 2,000 children.

The number of civilian casualties in the first five months of this year alone totaled 5,144 – nearly 50 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024. Of this number, 859 were killed and 4,285 injured.