One person was killed and 31 wounded in a large-scale air strike launched by Russia against Kiev, 48 hours after a three-day ceasefire announced by Moscow expired, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denouncing that Russia has launched more than 1.560 drones as of midnight on Wednesday.

In addition, civilian infrastructure, including ports and railways, in the southern Ukrainian province of Odessa were targeted by Russian airstrikes overnight, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksi Kuleba said today.

For his part, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko pointed out that Russia launched “drones and ballistic missiles” against the Ukrainian capital.

Afp reporters heard several explosions and gunfire from air defence systems during the night.

The Russian attack targeted six areas of Kiev and six others in the eponymous province, according to military authorities.

“As of 07:30 (local time and GMT) the toll is at least 31 wounded, including one child. Unfortunately, one death has been confirmed,” the state-run Department of State Emergency Services (DSNS) noted on Telegram.

According to AFP reporters, several apartment buildings were affected, while operations are underway to search for persons who were “trapped in the debris of a collapsed high-rise building,” authorities noted.

After a three-day ceasefire as part of World War II end-of-war celebrations, daily raids by the Russian military on Ukrainian cities resumed Monday night into Tuesday.

Ukraine’s Air Force said today that Russia launched 675 drones and 56 missiles against the country overnight.

According to the statement, the anti-aircraft defense shot down 652 drones and 41 missiles, while 38 strikes were recorded in 24 regions of Ukraine. Damage from falling debris was recorded in another 18 regions.

1,560 drones

Yesterday, Wednesday, Moscow’s forces launched “800 drones” against the country, according to Zelensky.

“In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities,” Zelensky said in a post on X today. “These are certainly not the actions of some people who believe that the war is nearing its end,” he added.

Yesterday the Ukrainian president had assessed: “We certainly cannot call it a coincidence that one of the most massive and longest Russian attacks against Ukraine was launched just as the US president was arriving for a visit to China – a visit from which we expect a lot.”

Meanwhile, Zelensky had invited his US counterpart Donald Trump to discuss ways to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Shibiha, for his part, assessed that the attack launched by Russia during Trump’s visit to Beijing demonstrates that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to continue fighting despite Washington’s peace efforts.

“We should have no illusions or wishful thinking: only pressure on Moscow can force him to stop,” Sibiha wrote in X. “I am sure that the leaders of the US and China have enough influence in Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war.”

According to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) released in early January, nearly 15.000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 40,600 wounded since the war began with the Russian military invasion on 24 February 2022.

The year 2025 was the second deadliest year for civilians since 2022, with more than 2,500 deaths, according to the same source.

</html