Ukraine’s emergencies services said that a rocket hit a high-rise residential complex in the western part of the capital, Kiev on Saturday morning. The reported incident took place amid Russia’s ongoing military operation in the country.
Ukrainian officials published photos of a partially destroyed building on social media. They said first responders have been evacuating residents and working to determine the number of casualties.
Emergency services also shared what they said was a video of the rocket hitting the building. It was not clear where the missile had come from, and RT could not independently verify the footage.
Ukrainian officials and the media said earlier that the country’s air defenses were responding to Russian aircraft operating over Kiev.
Moscow has not commented on the reported incident. Russia claimed earlier that it was only hitting military sites, such as airfields and radar stations, and not targeting civilians. Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) is not far from where the missile reportedly landed.
Russia attacked its neighbor early Thursday morning, arguing the move was necessary to defend the people of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), which broke off from Ukraine shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Ukraine said the attack was entirely unprovoked and appealed to the international community for help.
The Russian military said on Friday that its troops seized an airfield near Kiev and began encircling the city. Ukraine did not confirm the loss of the airfield, but pulled more armored units into the capital, preparing to defend the city. Ukrainian officials reported sporadic firefights in the suburbs.
President Zelensky said on Saturday morning that Ukrainians will not surrender and will continue to resist the Russian offensive.