European leaders outraged after Russian strikes kill 23 and damage EU's HQ
The head of the European Union's executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Russian missiles struck in close proximity to its diplomatic mission
European leaders on Friday expressed anger after Russian airstrikes on Kyiv killed 23 people, including four children, and left dozens injured, with missiles damaging the European Union’s delegation office in the Ukrainian capital.
According to Ukrainian officials, the overnight bombardment marked the deadliest assault on Kyiv since July.
A five-storey residential block in the Darnytskyi district on the city’s left bank was destroyed, with many of the victims found in the rubble. Among those killed were children aged two, 14 and 17, while several others were wounded.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the strikes, saying Russian missiles had hit alarmingly close to the EU mission.
“Two missiles hit in a distance of 50m (165ft) of the delegation within 20 seconds,” she said in a statement. She described the assault as “another grim reminder” that Moscow would “stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine”, even targeting diplomatic missions.
Ukraine’s military said Russia launched nearly 600 drones along with more than 30 ballistic and cruise missiles in the large-scale offensive, the biggest attack on the capital this month.
CCTV footage captured the moment three missiles struck the city, with rescuers later seen climbing over smouldering debris as diggers cleared rubble in search of survivors.
The strikes drew swift condemnation across Europe and beyond. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Vladimir Putin of “sabotaging hopes of peace”, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia had made “a deliberate choice to escalate and mock peace efforts”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Moscow had chosen “ballistics instead of the negotiating table” and repeated his call for “new, tough sanctions” against Russia. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the targeting of the EU office showed the Kremlin’s “true face again” and warned it was becoming increasingly brazen.
The Kremlin maintained that Russia was “still interested” in talks, but the US special envoy on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, described the bombardment as “egregious attacks” on residential areas that threatened diplomatic efforts by Washington to end the war.
