Major Russian attack on Kyiv, two people killed, government building hit

Two people were killed last night in a major Russian drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and the main government building was also hit, with smoke visible from its roof, news agencies reported.

As AP journalists report, it is not yet clear whether this was a direct hit on the building.

Russia has so far avoided striking government buildings and institutions located in the center of Kiev, including the Ukrainian cabinet and the offices of ministers.

Police have blocked access to the government building, and ambulances and fire engines are also present.

Ukrainian officials said two people were killed and 15 were injured in the attack, while Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko confirmed that the government building had been hit and that there was damage to it.

"For the first time, a government building has been damaged in an enemy attack, including the roof and upper floors," Prime Minister Sviridenko said.

"We will rebuild the buildings, but the lives lost cannot be brought back," she added. "The world must respond to this destruction not only with words but with deeds. There is a need to strengthen the pressure of sanctions, primarily against Russian oil and gas," the prime minister said.

Among the dead was a one-year-old child, whose body was dug out of the rubble by rescuers, said the head of the Kiev city administration, Timur Tkachenko.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that debris from a Russian drone hit a nine-story apartment building in Kiev's Svyatoshinsky district and a four-story apartment building in another district, Darnytskyi.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles last night. 751 of them were shot down.

This is the second massive Russian drone and missile attack on Kiev in the last two weeks, at a time when hopes for peace talks are fading.

The attack came after European leaders called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, and 26 countries allied with Ukraine pledged to deploy their troops as "security forces" once a ceasefire is agreed.