War in Ukraine: New major Russian nighttime attack in kyiv leaves at least two dead

A nighttime Russian attack on kyiv killed two people, local authorities announced Thursday morning, ahead of a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, amid a diplomatic impasse over the Ukrainian issue.

An attack lasting "nearly ten hours"

According to Kyiv's military administration chief Timur Tkachenko, Russian forces targeted at least six districts of the capital. The strikes or debris from intercepted projectiles hit residential buildings, vehicles, warehouses, and office buildings, according to the same source.

"Unfortunately, we have two dead. These people were killed by the Russians," Timur Tkachenko wrote on the Telegram social network, after reporting 13 wounded. The nighttime attack on the Kyiv region was "massive" and lasted "nearly ten hours" using combat drones and missiles, said Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the regional military administration.

Journalists in Kyiv heard powerful explosions over the city overnight and saw the explosions of projectiles intercepted in the sky by anti-aircraft defenses. Several dozen residents took refuge in a metro station in the city center, where sleeping mats and camping equipment were available.

The night before, Russia launched its largest airstrike since the start of the invasion in February 2022, with 728 drones and 13 missiles, almost all of which were intercepted, according to Kyiv.

Rubio-Lavrov meeting

Against the backdrop of intensifying Russian strikes and a diplomatic impasse, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the meeting of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur.

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he wanted to send "more weapons" to Kiev , mainly "defensive" ones, and the next day accused Vladimir Putin of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, while suggesting that he wanted to impose new sanctions on Russia.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to participate in a videoconference meeting on Ukraine this Thursday, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz . According to the Elysée Palace, US representatives are also expected to attend.