Russia continues its relentless attack on Ukraine. During the night, civilian buildings in Kyiv were hit, and the EU representation was damaged. Authorities report at least 14 dead – including children.

At least 14 people, including three children, were killed in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities initially reported eight deaths, but have since indicated that more victims could be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings. According to official figures, at least 45 were injured. While rescue workers searched for those buried early Thursday morning, further attacks reportedly occurred.

The European Union representation is also affected."My thoughts are with the Ukrainian victims and also with the staff of the EU representation whose building was damaged in this deliberate Russian attack," wrote EU Council President António Costa on X.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha accused Russia on X of deliberately targeting diplomats. He argued that this was a violation of the Vienna Convention, and international condemnation of the attack was necessary. According to the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, the building was damaged by a shock wave.

Zelenskyy demands reaction

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the attacks on Kyiv were Russia's response to diplomatic efforts."Russia is choosing ballistic combat over the negotiating table," he wrote on X."It is choosing to continue killing rather than end the war."

Ukraine expects a reaction from other states to the nighttime attacks on Kyiv. Zelenskyy called in particular on Moscow's ally China and the pro-Russian EU member Hungary to take a clear stance.

Alarm in almost all parts of the country

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had previously spoken of a"massive attack" on the capital, causing damage in five districts. A five-story building in the Darnytsia district had collapsed, he stated. The capital's military governor, Tymur Tkachenko, accused Russia of systematically targeting residential buildings.

Nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping center in the city center, and thousands of windows were shattered, Tkachenko said. Russia used drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

Explosions were also reported in the cities of Sumy in the north, and Dnipro and Zaporizhia in the south. According to Ukrainian sources, residents in almost all parts of the country were ordered to shelter in place, even far from the front lines. According to the report, the attackers launched several waves of combat drones. The Ukrainian Air Force reported a total of 598 drones and 31 missiles sent by Russia. The majority of these were intercepted.

Attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure are increasing

Ukraine's national power grid operator announced that Russia's nighttime attack also damaged energy facilities in several regions and led to local power outages. The attack on critical infrastructure in the central Ukrainian region of Vinnytsia cut off power to 60,000 consumers.

According to Ukrainian sources, Russian airstrikes had already targeted the country's energy system the day before. A substation in the Sumy region was hit, the Energy Ministry reported on Telegram. In the eastern Ukrainian region of Poltava, the gas transmission system was damaged. Further airstrikes were reported in the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions. Around 100,000 people were temporarily without electricity.

The attacks were said to be intended to weaken the Ukrainian energy system before the start of the heating season. Russia had already repeatedly targeted energy facilities during the past three winters of war.

Apparently bottlenecks in Russia

The Russian attacks on energy infrastructure could be linked to a series of Ukrainian attacks against the oil and gas industry in Russia. The Ukrainian military reportedly attacked oil refineries again overnight into Thursday. Two facilities were targeted, according to the commander of the drone force. They were the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar Oblast and the Kuybyshevsky refinery in Samara Oblast.

According to Ukrainian media reports, the repeated attacks on Russian refineries are now having an impact. Russia has lost 17 percent of its oil processing capacity. Fuel shortages are reportedly occurring in many regions, and prices are rising sharply. Authorities are reportedly beginning to ration fuel, and in some cases, sales have even been suspended, according to the AP news agency.

According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian air defenses intercepted 102 Ukrainian drones overnight. At least seven regions were targeted by the Ukrainian attack. Russia always only reports how many enemy missiles were destroyed, not how many were detected overall. The figures cannot be independently verified.