KYIV — Rescue workers completed searches at a destroyed apartment building in Kyiv on Friday after recovering additional bodies from the rubble of a Russian missile strike, bringing the death toll from one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital this year to 30, Ukrainian authorities said.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service said emergency crews had finished search operations at the collapsed nine-storey residential building in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, where 10 victims were recovered from beneath the debris. Emergency repair and recovery work continued at the site and at several other damaged locations across the district.
The apartment block was among numerous residential buildings hit during a large-scale overnight Russian missile and drone attack on July 2 that damaged homes, hotels and other civilian infrastructure across Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials. Authorities said more than 90 people were injured in the assault, while more than 100 residential buildings sustained damage across the city.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the barrage as one of the most destructive attacks on the capital this year and renewed calls for Ukraine's allies to strengthen the country's air defences. Kyiv observed a day of mourning as rescue workers, forensic specialists and emergency crews continued clearing debris and identifying victims.
The State Emergency Service said recovery operations would continue at other strike locations in Darnytskyi district, where crews were dismantling unstable structures and removing debris left by the attack.
Russia's Defence Ministry said the strikes were carried out in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory and energy infrastructure. Moscow has repeatedly said it targets military-related facilities, while Ukraine says Russian attacks have repeatedly struck residential areas and other civilian sites. Reuters could not independently verify the competing claims.
The attack involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, according to Ukrainian authorities, making it one of the largest aerial assaults on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Thousands of residents sought shelter in underground metro stations during the bombardment as explosions and fires were reported across multiple districts of the capital.
With search operations at the apartment block now concluded, officials said emergency and recovery efforts would continue at other damaged sites while investigators worked to document the aftermath and identify all of the victims.
