Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing civilian area of Kiev
Ukrainian officials have claimed that Russia bombed a residential building and a kindergarten in Kiev on Sunday.
A Russian missile hit an apartment complex in western Kiev, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday. He said one person died and four people were hospitalized, including a seven-year-old girl. The official added that 24 residents were evacuated.
Emergency services said a nine-story building was shelled by “the enemy,” and that “a Russian bomb” left a large crater on the grounds of a kindergarten. Officials said that there were no children in the facility at the time.
Yury Ignat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that Russian aircraft launched up to six missiles at Kiev on Sunday, two of which were intercepted mid-air.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not report any airstrikes on Kiev in its daily press briefing. Moscow previously said that it only hits military targets, such as artillery installations and weapons depots.
In late April, Russian missiles struck the Artyom missile development and production plant, located in the same Shevchenko district of Kiev.
Donbass officials have accused Kiev of shelling Donetsk and other cities since the start of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, which was launched in late February. The Donetsk People’s Republic said this week that 188 civilians have been killed in on its territory over the last four months.
Ukraine also claims that it only strikes military targets.
Russia attacked the neighboring state following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
