At least five people have died in the barrage of Russian nighttime bombardments on Ukrainian targets, including in the country's capital, where the government headquarters was hit, with the top floors of the building engulfed in flames.

Overnight, Russia launched 810 drones and 13 missiles. The Ukrainian air force says it intercepted 747 drones and four missiles. This was the largest airstrike since the start of the war.

For the first time since the outbreak of war in February 2022, the roof and upper floors of the government headquarters were damaged by enemy fire, Prime Minister Svirydenko said via Telegram. Helicopters dropped water on the building located in the heart of Kiev, near the presidential palace and parliament.

Russia fired its largest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine on September 7, launching 805 drones and 13 missiles with Ukrainian defense units downing 751 drones and four missiles.

The attack set the main building of the Ukrainian government in Kiev on fire and reportedly left three…

— TRT World (@trtworld) September 7, 2025

As the US president's diplomatic efforts to end the war appear to have run into quicksand in recent days, most of Ukraine was declared on high alert overnight.

Outside the capital, other areas were also hit. In total, five people were killed and more than 20 were injured. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least two more people were killed in separate, local clashes.

In the capital, several apartment buildings were damaged. The victims were a young woman and her two-month-old son, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

#Russian army strikes government building in #Kiev —target may have been top floor used by country’s prime minister

Right now, the Russian Armed Forces are conducting one of the MOST MASSIVE attacks s on Ukrainian Army rear areas

➡️ 4 Iskander-K cruise missiles hit targets in… pic.twitter.com/F4VHi8HKtC

— Uncensored News (@Uncensorednewsw) September 7, 2025

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The world must respond to this disaster, not just with words, but with actions. Sanctions pressure needs to be stepped up, especially on Russian oil and gas, Ukrainian Prime Minister Svirydenko said, also calling for more weapons from her country's allies.

The Ukrainian president said he had spoken with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron."We are coordinating our diplomatic efforts, next steps and contacts with our partners to give an appropriate response to Moscow and strengthen Ukrainian defense," Volodymyr Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Russian president was making a mockery of diplomacy, while the British Prime Minister said he was shocked:"I am shocked by the latest barbaric attack carried out overnight on Kiev and across Ukraine, which has killed civilians and damaged infrastructure," Keir Starmer said in a statement, adding:"For the first time, the heart of the Ukrainian government has been struck. These cowardly attacks show that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) believes he can act with impunity. He is not serious about peace."

What about Ukraine's public buildings?

In late August, a massive drone and missile attack on Kiev killed at least 25 people and damaged the offices of the European Union delegation and the British Council in the Ukrainian capital.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the district where government buildings are located in Kiev had remained relatively unscathed from Russian strikes against the capital.

By comparison, the country's public buildings have not been damaged by the almost daily Russian bombings over the past three and a half years.

Strikes were also reported overnight in several other regions of Ukraine, including Dnipropetrovsk, where military regional commander Serhiy Lysak said a 54-year-old man had died, and Zaporizhia, where a woman was reported dead. Authorities also reported a death in Sumy last night.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that its military forces have taken control of the village of Korosh, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russian forces have carried out raids on the infrastructure of a military-industrial complex, as well as transport infrastructure, as well as military airfields in Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Russian military also said it had targeted drone factories and military airfields in eastern, southern and central Ukraine, as well as two industries in the Kiev region. No other targets were hit within the Kiev area, it added, suggesting the government headquarters may have been hit by debris rather than a direct hit.

Reuters news agency was unable to independently confirm the reports from the battlefield.

Ukraine, for its part, announced that it had hit a factory in the Russian region of Bryansk and an oil refinery in Krasnodar, in southern Russia.