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Russian mass attack hits Kyiv, at least 18 injured

by Olena Goncharova and The Kyiv Independent news desk June 17, 2025 1:35 AM  (Updated: ) 2 min read
Photo for illustrative purposes. A view of Kyiv, Ukraine during a partial blackout on Dec. 13, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new details emerge.

Kyiv came under another mass Russian attack in the early hours of June 17 as ballistic missiles and drones struck civilian targets across the city.

Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported the sounds of drones, missiles, and multiple rounds of explosions throughout the capital.

At least 18 people were injured in the city's Solomianskyi district after the attack caused a fire at a five-story residential building, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Six of the victims have been hospitalized.

The attack damaged another high-rise apartment building in the area, Tkachenko said. Emergency workers are onsite and victims may be trapped beneath the rubble.

As of 3 a.m. local time, damage from the Russian attack has been recorded at 12 locations across Kyiv's Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, Podilskyi, and Obolonskyi districts. First responders have been dispatched to the sites of attack.

During the attack on the capital, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen died in the Solomianskyi district in a building across from where medics were assisting the injured, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. Medical personnel confirmed biological death.

A kindergarten in the Darnytskyi district was damaged, Tkachenko said. No casualties were reported at the site. A residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district was also damaged.

The upper floors of residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts were also damaged.  

A dormitory at the Kyiv Aviation Institute was hit by drones during the attack, the news outlet Suspilne reported. Drones struck the institute's 10th floor and broke windows on three others.

Outside the capital, the attacks also caused damage and injured civilians in Kyiv Oblast towns. At least one woman was injured and multiple homes damaged, according to the regional administration.

The attack followed a series of drone strikes overnight on June 16 targeting Kyiv Oblast, including both the capital and surrounding settlements. In the Obukhiv district, a 60-year-old man was injured, according to regional authorities.  

Russian attacks against Ukraine have intensified in May and June, with Moscow launching several record-breaking mass strikes against Kyiv and other cities.

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1:35 AM  (Updated: )

Russian mass attack hits Kyiv, at least 18 injured.

Russian drones and ballistic missiles targeted the capital overnight, damaging dormitories, residential buildings, and a kindergarten. Emergency responders are searching for more victims who may be trapped beneath the rubble.
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