Zelenskyy Calls For More Pressure On Russia After Deadly Missile Strike In Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile onslaught connected a nine-story Kyiv flat building was a motion that much unit must beryllium applied connected Moscow to work together to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, arsenic Moscow intensifies attacks successful nan war.

The drone and rocket onslaught connected Kyiv early Tuesday, nan deadliest battle connected nan superior this year, killed 28 group crossed nan metropolis and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration caput Tymur Tkachenko said.

Zelenskyy, on pinch nan caput of nan statesmanlike office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited nan tract of nan flat building successful Kyiv’s Solomianskyi territory connected Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to nan 23 group who died location aft a nonstop deed by a rocket brought down nan structure.

“This onslaught is simply a reminder to nan world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing,” Zelenskyy wrote connected Telegram, and thanked Ukraine’s partners who he said are fresh to unit Russia to “feel nan existent costs of nan war.”

Firefighters put retired nan occurrence aft a Russian rocket deed a residential building during Russia's monolithic rocket and drone aerial onslaught successful Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

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Intensifying attacks

Tuesday’s onslaught connected Kyiv was portion of a sweeping barrage arsenic Russia erstwhile again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian aerial defenses. Russia fired much than 440 drones and 32 missiles successful what Zelenskyy called 1 of nan biggest bombardments of the war, which began connected Feb. 24, 2022.

As Russia proceeds pinch a summertime offensive connected parts of nan astir 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) beforehand line, U.S.-led bid efforts person grounded to summation traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has efficaciously rejected an connection from U.S. President Donald Trump for an contiguous 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional connected a halt connected Ukraine’s mobilization effort and a frost connected Western arms supplies.

Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and U.S. trade tariffs person drawn distant world attraction from Ukraine’s pleas for much negotiated and economical unit to beryllium placed connected Moscow.

In caller weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that person struck municipality residential areas. Yet connected Wednesday, Putin denied that his subject had struck specified targets, saying that attacks were “against subject industries, not residential quarters.”

Putin told elder news leaders of world news agencies successful St. Petersburg, Russia, that he was unfastened to talks pinch Zelenskyy, but repeated his accusation that nan Ukrainian leader had mislaid his legitimacy aft his word expired past twelvemonth — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

“We are fresh for substantive talks connected nan principles of a settlement,” Putin said, noting that a erstwhile information of talks successful Istanbul had led to an speech of prisoners and nan bodies of fallen soldiers.

Rescue workers clear nan rubble of a multi-storey residential location destroyed by a Russian onslaught successful Kyiv, Ukraine, connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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Prisoners exchanged

A caller information of specified exchanges took spot successful Ukraine’s Chernihiv region connected Thursday, involving nan repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of warfare who, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for nan Treatment of Prisoners of War aliases KSHPPV, were suffering from terrible wellness issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention.

The speech was confirmed by Russia’s Defense Ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen astatine an speech area successful Belarus aft being released successful nan captive swap.

Commenting connected nan exchange, Zelenskyy wrote connected Telegram: “We are moving to get our group back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our extremity is to free each and each one.”

Many of nan exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent complete 3 years successful captivity, pinch a ample number captured during nan defense of nan now Russian-occupied metropolis of Mariupol successful 2022, according to nan KSHPPV, which added that preparations for different captive speech are ongoing.

In St. Petersburg connected Wednesday, Putin praised Trump’s push for bid successful Ukraine. But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote connected X connected Thursday that it was his state that had “unconditionally accepted” nan U.S. connection for a ceasefire, and said that Russian claims of willingness to extremity nan warfare were “manipulations.”

“It has been precisely 100 days since Ukraine unconditionally accepted nan U.S. bid connection to wholly cease fire, put an extremity to nan killing, and move guardant pinch a genuine bid process ... 100 days of Russia escalating panic against Ukraine alternatively than ending it,” Sybiha wrote.

“Ukraine remains committed to peace. Unfortunately, Russia continues to take war, disregarding U.S. efforts to extremity nan killing,” he added.

Overnight connected Wednesday, Russia fired a barrage of 104 Shahed and decoy drones crossed Ukraine, according to nan country’s aerial force. Of those, 88 were intercepted, jammed, aliases mislaid from radars mid-flight.

There were nary contiguous reports of casualties aliases harm caused by nan attack.