Residents in nearby streets said the blast rattled windows for blocks. “We’ve always felt the centre was protected,” one man said, staring at the dark plume rising above Independence Square. “Not anymore.”

The overnight assault was among the most intense Kyiv has faced. Hundreds of drones and missiles filled the sky, according to Ukrainian officials. In the western Svyatoshynsky district, a nine-storey apartment block was ripped open. A baby and a young woman were killed; rescuers combed the rubble searching for a third missing resident.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strikes “a deliberate crime and an attempt to drag this war on,” urging the world to show the will to stop Russia’s attacks. Air raid alerts blanketed the country as firefighters battled blazes in several Kyiv neighbourhoods.

The devastation stretched far beyond the capital. In Zaporizhzhia, a nursery and homes were destroyed, injuring at least 17 people. A woman was killed in Novopavlivka, with others reported missing. More deaths followed in Sumy and Chernihiv. In Kryvyi Rih, three key infrastructure sites were hit.

As Ukraine counted the losses, it also struck back. Officials said a drone attack damaged a pumping station on Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline.

For many in Kyiv, the sight of their government’s headquarters burning was more than another headline. It was a chilling reminder that nowhere — not even the city’s fortified centre — is truly safe.

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