Kyiv’s night of fire: 19 dead, four children — missiles, drones, and diplomacy on the ropes

By: Oluwaseun Lawal

Sirens. Smoke. A city jolts awake. There’s 19 dead, four children, after Russian missiles and drones slammed into Kyiv on Thursday, carving a crater that tore an apartment block almost in two. Washington says the barrage undercuts ceasefire efforts, even as Moscow talks peace with one hand and keeps firing with the other.

Ukraine’s air force reported 629 launches overnight—one of the biggest of the war, they say. Not just homes took hits: the EU mission and a British Council building were damaged, along with two media offices; Europe and the U.K. summoned Russia’s envoys in protest.

A separate maritime drone strike in the Black Sea struck a Ukrainian naval vessel, killing at least one, Kyiv’s navy added. President Zelensky called it a deliberate killing of civilians and pushed for tougher sanctions, with his aides due to meet Donald Trump’s team in New York on Friday.

The Kremlin insisted it targeted military and “adjacent” sites and vowed strikes will continue. NATO’s Mark Rutte urged getting Ukraine what it needs to defend itself and secure a real peace. Kyiv, meanwhile, said it hit two major oil refineries inside Russia overnight—retaliation, not rage. The rubble still smoke. The war, sadly, keeps moving.