Deadly Russian strikes hit Kyiv hours after Trump-Zelenskyy call

KYIV: At least two people have been killed in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, while four others died in the frontline Donetsk region, following a wave of Russian attacks launched just hours after US President Donald Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about efforts to end the war.

Kyiv came under an unusually intense daytime drone assault on Wednesday, with the attack continuing for several hours from the morning into the early afternoon. Local authorities said at least two people were killed and more than 30 injured.

Zelenskyy said Russia used a large number of drones in the attack, including many powered by jet engines. Such drones fly at higher speeds and altitudes, making them more difficult for Ukrainian air defences to intercept.

“Russia continues to target civilian and critical infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on X, citing attacks on pharmaceutical facilities, petrol stations, railway and communications infrastructure, as well as shopping centres.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a Russian drone struck a nine-storey non-residential building, along with a business centre and warehouses.

Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s state-owned oil company, said one of its petrol stations in Kyiv was hit. The company said it was the sixth of its facilities to be targeted in recent weeks, while authorities reported that two petrol stations were attacked during the latest strikes.

Railway infrastructure in the capital was also damaged, according to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chief executive of Ukraine’s railway operator. He said one railway employee was injured.

Elsewhere, a Russian aerial bomb struck a village in the eastern Donetsk region, killing at least four people and injuring another four, according to the region’s governor, who reported the attack on Telegram. (Agencies)

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