Russian strikes pound Kyiv as Trump goes slow on sanctions

Kateryna Chursina, Bloomberg News on Jun 17, 2025

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Russian air strikes killed at least 14 people in Kyiv in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “one of the most horrific attacks” as multiple locations in the Ukrainian capital were struck by drones and missiles or hit by debris.

A direct strike on a nine-story apartment building caused an entire section to collapse and the search was underway to find survivors in the debris, the Ukrainian president said in a post on X. He said it was unclear how many remained trapped, as buildings have been damaged across the city.

“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” Zelenskyy said on X after arriving in Canada for the Group of Seven leaders’ meeting. “And the whole world, the United States, and Europe must finally respond as a civilized society responds to terrorists.”

Russian air assaults on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure have intensified in recent weeks — this is the most deadly since at least April. Still, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated at the G-7 summit in Canada that he’s in no rush to impose tougher sanctions on Russia to bring Moscow to the negotiating table.

Zelenskyy was due to meet the U.S. president at the summit to discuss buying a weapons package, but Trump departed the meeting early because of the unfolding tensions in the Middle East, where Israel is bombarding Iran’s nuclear and military sites.

While Kyiv bore the brunt of the Russian attack, projectiles hit targets in ten other places and debris fell in 34 locations, Ukraine’s Air Force said on Telegram. The strikes killed 15 people across Ukraine and injured 75 in an attack on seven regions including Zhytomyr in the north, Odesa in the south as well as Zaporizhzhia in the east, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia launched 440 drones and 32 missiles including two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. It said that Ukrainian forces had shot down 26 missiles and 236 drones and that several of the latter were successfully jammed.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that residential buildings, schools and critical infrastructure sustained damage. Over 14 missiles and 175 drones targeted the capital and its residential area, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv military administration, said on Telegram.

Odesa was another major target, where one person was killed and 10 people were injured in the southern city, the State Emergency Service said on Telegram. The historical part of Odesa suffered significant damage according to the city council. The search for people under debris was ongoing, said Regional Governor Oleh Kiper on Telegram.

Russian drone and missile attacks started on Monday night and lasted for over ten hours, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

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—With assistance from Alan Crawford.