Ukrainians mourn 31 killed in Russian strike on Kyiv

KYIV (Reuters): Ukrainian rescuers recovered more than a dozen more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Kyiv overnight, bringing the death toll from Russia’s worst air strike of the year on Ukraine’s capital to 31.

A two-year-old was among the five children found dead after Thursday’s sweeping Russian drone and missile attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, announcing the end of a more than 24-hour-long rescue operation.

A total of 159 people were wounded in the multi-wave strike, in which Russia launched more than 300 drones and eight missiles early on Thursday, the latest in a campaign of fierce strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities.

The worst damage was to an apartment building that partially collapsed in the Sviatoshyn district in western Kyiv. Damage was also reported in at least three other districts of the capital.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday sharply criticized Russia’s “disgusting” behavior against Ukraine, while saying he was not sure whether sanctions would deter Russia. He has given President Vladimir Putin until August 8 to make a deal or else he will respond with economic pressure.

Natalia Matviyenko, 65, sitting near the damaged apartment building, said she did not place much faith in Trump’s tough rhetoric.

“Trump just says, ‘I’m upset with President Putin’s behavior.’ And what? No results,” she said.

The US leader, who returned to power on a pledge to swiftly end the war, has in recent weeks rolled back his earlier conciliatory approach toward Moscow and signalled openness to arming Ukraine.

But a diplomatic effort to end the war has stalled, with Moscow not backing down from what Kyiv and its allies describe as maximalist demands.

’WILL PUTIN LISTEN?’

On Friday, mourners laid flowers and lit candles at the wrecked apartment block, where rumbling excavators hoisted heavy pieces of rubble. The makeshift shrine included brightly colored stuffed animals.

Oksana Kinal, 43, who was placing flowers to honor a co-worker who had been killed alongside a son, said she hoped Trump would follow up on his threat but also expressed doubt.

“I think America has a lot of points of leverage that can be used against Russia,” she said.

“But will Putin listen to this? I don’t know.”

Kyiv’s air force said on Friday that Ukrainian air defenses had destroyed more than 6,000 drones and missiles across the country in July alone.

“The world possesses every instrument required to ensure Russia is brought to justice,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X on Friday. “What is lacking is not power — but will.”