Ukraine war latest: Russian mass attack on Kyiv kills at least 22, including 4 children
Key developments on Aug. 28:
- 'Moscow's true answer to peace efforts' — Russian mass attack on Kyiv at least kills 22, including children
- After murdering 22 civilians in Kyiv, Russia says it 'remains interested' in Ukraine peace negotiations
- Russia hits Ukrainian vessel, killing 1 crew member, injuring others, Navy says
- Ukraine strikes 2 Russian refineries, other targets in overnight attack, military says
- Ukraine hits Russian cruise missile carrier near occupied Crimea, intelligence claims
Russia launched a large-scale aerial strike on Ukrainian cities overnight on Aug. 28, attacking Kyiv with missiles and targeting regions far from the front lines.
At least 22 people were killed in the attack on the capital, including four children, authorities said. Three of them were aged 2, 14, and 17.
Sixty-three people including 11 children were injured, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Thirty of them were hospitalized.
Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine, and residents of nearly every region were urged to seek shelter as Russia launched hypersonic missiles and multiple waves of drones throughout the night. At least four MiG-31 aircraft — jets armed with Kinzhal missiles — took off during the attack.
Russia launched 598 drones overnight, including Shahed attack drones and decoys, as well as 31 missiles, among them two Kh-47 Kinzhal ballistic missiles, nine Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, and 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
After murdering 22 civilians in Kyiv, Russia says it 'remains interested' in Ukraine peace negotiations
Russia has said it "remains interested in continuing negotiations" with Ukraine, just hours after it launched a mass missile and drone attack that killed at least 21 people in Kyiv.
After the attack, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that "the Russian Armed Forces are successfully striking Ukraine's military infrastructure, but Russia remains interested in continuing negotiations," Russian state-controlled media reported.
Russia has increased the frequency and intensity of aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities since the start of 2025. On July 29, Russia launched its deadliest attack against Kyiv this year, killing 32 civilians in a massive combined strike.
Russian state media never shows the consequences of Russian attacks, claiming that Russian forces target military infrastructure.
As the White House pushes for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, Russia continues to exert additional pressure on Kyiv through constant attacks on cities and escalating ground offensives.
Putin avoids meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky because "he doesn't like him," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 25. Zelensky repeatedly said he is ready to meet Putin and hold peace talks with Russia.
"They (Russians) think Russia is winning the war, they are ready to make peace on their terms, and they are still optimistic that Donald Trump will either persuade the Europeans to accept those terms, or that he will walk away and leave the Europeans to defend Ukraine on their own," Peter Rutland, a Professor of Government at Wesleyan University, told the Kyiv Independent.
Russia hits Ukrainian vessel, killing 1 crew member, injuring others, Navy says
Russia attacked a Ukrainian Navy vessel, killing one crew member and injuring several others, Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk confirmed for the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 28.
"Efforts to address the aftermath of the attack are ongoing. The majority of the crew are safe, and the search for several missing sailors continues," Pletenchuk told the Kyiv Independent.
Other details of the attack, including the time and location, have not yet been disclosed.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that a Russian naval drone hit the Ukrainian medium reconnaissance ship Simferopol near the mouth of the Danube River, alleging that the ship had sunk.
Ukraine strikes 2 Russian refineries, other targets in overnight attack, military says
Ukrainian forces hit the Kuibyshev refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast and the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar Krai overnight on Aug. 28, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.
The statement comes as confirmation of a mass drone attack that struck the two oil refineries and other facilities across Russia, as previously reported by local media.
The Kuibyshev facility, lying some 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukraine-Russia border, has a production capacity of 7 million metric tons of oil per year, producing gasoline, diesel fuel, and other products, the General Staff said.
The Russian Telegram news channel Astra posted photos and video footage of a large-scale fire at the Kuibyshev refinery.
Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed an attack against the region's infrastructure, saying that the strike was repelled and the subsequent fire was promptly extinguished.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces downed 102 Ukrainian drones across different regions overnight on Aug. 28, including 21 over Samara Oblast and 18 over Krasnodar Krai.
Ukraine hits Russian cruise missile carrier near occupied Crimea, intelligence claims
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) damaged a Russian Buyan-M-class small missile ship, a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, near Russian-occupied Crimea in the Azov Sea on Aug. 28, HUR reported.
According to the agency, during the operation, fighters from HUR’s special unit "Prymary" damaged the ship’s radar system using a drone strike, while special forces launched an attack directly on the missile carrier.
The missile ship, stationed in Temryuk Bay and ready to launch Kalibr missiles, was forced to retreat from its patrol zone after the attack, HUR said.
The agency published purported drone footage of the attack against the vessel.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
