"Worst Since the War Began"... Civilian Facilities Targeted

[Anchor]

Russia has launched an intensive air strike on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Some are calling it the worst attack since the war began.

Kwon Yeongin reports from Paris.

[Reporter]

Russian missiles and drones are exploding across the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Desperate rescue operations are underway at buildings that have been devastatingly reduced to rubble.

From the night of July 1 to yesterday, Russia launched an intensive attack on major Ukrainian cities using 74 missiles and 496 drones.

[Interview] Maksym Lakh / Kyiv Resident: I first saw one missile flying toward our company, and then I heard the sound of a second missile coming. It literally fell right over our heads.

In Kyiv alone, 20 people were killed and 90 injured, with at least 21 lives lost nationwide.

Ukraine stated that this attack was specifically focused on civilian facilities, including one hotel and 20 residential buildings in Kyiv.

Local media reports that the casualty count could rise as rescue operations are still ongoing at some buildings, and they are describing this as the worst attack since the war began in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut short his visit to Ireland and returned home immediately following the Russian attack.

Russia stated that this was a large-scale retaliatory measure for recent Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian civilian facilities.

Ukraine, which began its so-called 40-day operation last month, has been intensifying its offensive by using long-range drones to strike oil infrastructure facilities up to 1,000 km away from the Russian border.

Foreign media report that as Ukraine continues to recapture some of the Russian-occupied territories, voices among hardliners within Russia calling for an expansion of the war are growing louder.

Video by Lee So-young

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