Russia Strikes Kyiv With Missiles, Drones, Killing 14: Ukrainian Officials

At least 14 people were killed when Russian forces struck multiple targets in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on June 17.

More than 25 targets—including critical infrastructure— were hit in several waves of overnight missile and drone strikes, according to Kyiv officials.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 14 people were killed across the capital, while another was killed by a Russian strike in the southern port city of Odesa.

Describing the destruction as horrific, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attack had involved 32 missiles and more than 440 drones.

“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” he said. “The whole world, the United States, and Europe must finally respond as a civilized society responds to terrorists. Putin does this solely because he can afford to continue the war.”

Zelenskyy made the remarks from Canada, where he is attending a meeting of G7 leaders in hopes of drumming up Western support for Ukraine’s war effort.

Russia’s defense ministry confirmed the strikes in its daily report for June 17, which was posted on its official Telegram channel.

According to the ministry, Russian forces conducted a “group strike with long-range airborne, land, and sea-based precision weapons and strike drones against military industrial facilities … in [the] Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.”

“The goal of the strike was achieved. All the assigned targets were engaged,” the ministry stated.

In a separate statement cited by Russia’s TASS news agency, the ministry said that its air defenses had downed scores of Ukrainian drones over 10 regions of Russia.

“Between 11:30 p.m. Moscow time on June 16 … and 7:00 a.m. Moscow time on June 17, air defenses on duty intercepted or destroyed 147 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Voronezh, Tver, Lipetsk, Oryol, Tambov, Tula, and Moscow regions,” the ministry stated.

The Epoch Times could not independently verify claims made by either side of the ongoing conflict, which entered its fourth year in February.

Dim Prospects for Peace

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other’s critical infrastructure, including energy sites, despite efforts by the United States to secure a cease-fire.

On June 15, Russia struck an oil refinery in Ukraine’s central region of Poltava, which it claimed was supplying fuel to Ukrainian forces operating on the frontlines.

Writing on social media platform X, Zelenskyy said that Russia was planning “further attacks on [Ukraine’s] energy sector.”

Two rounds of Russia–Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to yield any significant breakthroughs, aside from agreements to exchange prisoners and repatriate the remains of dead soldiers.

In line with the latest agreement, Ukraine received the bodies of 1,245 slain military personnel on June 16.

“Today marks the final stage of the repatriation of fallen soldiers,” Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defense minister, said. “Since last week, when the implementation of the Istanbul agreements began, we have managed to bring back over 6,000 bodies.”

In return, Russia received the remains of 78 soldiers, according to Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks.

Despite ongoing hostilities and cross-border attacks, Moscow has signaled its willingness to take part in a fresh round of peace negotiations.

“In the coming days, it will be time to reach an understanding of possible terms for continuing this work,” a Kremlin spokesman told reporters on June 17 in reference to the Istanbul-hosted peace talks.

Reuters contributed to this report.