Ukraine said Russia fired more than 800 drones and missiles during the Sept. 6–7 attack, targeting the capital’s government quarter. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the Cabinet of Ministers’ headquarters was hit for the first time since the full-scale invasion began.
Witnesses and BBC journalists reported a vast cloud of smoke over the city center as firefighting helicopters battled flames. The roof and upper floors of the government building were damaged, and blazes broke out across the area.
Kyiv’s military administration and the air force said a Russian cruise missile struck the district and likely failed to detonate. Two missiles were seen over the capital before explosions near government buildings.
Ukraine said Russia used Iskander-K and Iskander-M missiles. Most were intercepted, but some reached targets and caused heavy damage.
Authorities reported at least three dead, including a child, and dozens wounded. The worst destruction was in residential blocks in Sviatoshyn and Darnytsia districts. Beyond the cabinet headquarters, fires and infrastructure damage were recorded in the government zone.
Svyrydenko urged a firm international response and tougher sanctions on Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike on the government building was an attempt by the Kremlin to intimidate and escalate the war.
Officials called the hit a symbolic and unprecedented blow to Ukraine’s seat of power, saying the government quarter had previously been shielded by air defenses.
On the morning of Sept. 8, Ukrainian officials and heads of 60 foreign diplomatic missions inspected the impact site. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternowa posted a photo of missile debris, writing that an Iskander strike “was aimed exactly at the heart of the Ukrainian government.”
(jh)
Source: IAR, RMF24