Russia unleashed one of its most intense assaults on Ukraine in recent months, launching over 440 drones and 32 missiles across the country, a Ukrainian official reported on Tuesday, June 17.
At least 15 people were killed, including one U.S. citizen, and dozens more were injured. Kyiv endured some of the heaviest destruction since the war began, with a ballistic missile leveling part of a nine-story apartment block in the Solomianskyi district.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the early-morning barrage struck dozens of civilian sites, including homes, schools, and key infrastructure. “This is pure terrorism,” he said. “The world — the U.S. and Europe — must respond as a civilized society does to terrorists. Putin continues this war because he believes he can.”
Emergency crews worked through the rubble, battling fires and rescuing trapped residents. An elderly woman was lowered from a shattered window as neighbors watched in shock.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s horrific,” said Viktoriia Vovchenko, 57. “People were pulled out injured and bleeding — elderly, children. I don’t know how much more we can take.”
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed 14 deaths in Kyiv and one in Odesa. Nearly 100 people were wounded across Kyiv, Odesa, and Chernihiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the American victim was a 62-year-old man killed by shrapnel.
While Ukraine has responded with drone strikes inside Russia, none have caused comparable civilian casualties. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted 147 Ukrainian drones overnight, including near Moscow.
Now in its fourth year, the full-scale war has intensified. Peace talks in Istanbul failed to yield results, as Russia escalated attacks in eastern Ukraine and opened a new front in the northeastern Sumy region.
Calls for a ceasefire from U.S. President Donald Trump remain unanswered. Trump, who left the G7 summit in Canada early amid growing Middle East tensions, has shifted U.S. policy away from strong support for Kyiv. His administration has resisted European demands for tougher sanctions on Moscow and even suggested readmitting Russia to the G7, from which it was expelled in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea.
Zelenskiy, attending the G7 summit, had hoped to secure more military aid and tighter sanctions on Russia. He also sought a meeting with Trump to discuss arms support, but it did not occur due to Trump’s early departure.
The latest escalation highlights the breakdown of diplomatic efforts and the rising human toll of a war that shows no sign of ending, as Russia continues its campaign in defiance of international condemnation.
