Civilian casualties have risen sharply following the latest mass air strikes carried out by Russian forces against Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. According to the latest official statement issued by Ukraine's State Emergency Service, the number of people killed in the strikes has climbed to 17.
Large-scale search-and-rescue operations are currently ongoing without interruption at residential areas and infrastructure facilities that were struck. Given the scale of the destruction, officials say the likelihood of the death and injury toll rising further remains high.
Military experts and humanitarian organisations are emphasising the severe consequences this latest wave of strikes on Kyiv has had for the civilian population and the city's infrastructure:
- Civilian targets and destruction: The strikes are reported to have targeted primarily residential buildings, civilian facilities and critical energy infrastructure. Intense fires broke out in several districts of the city.
- Intense rescue operations: A race against time is under way in operations involving heavy machinery and specialist rescue teams to free citizens trapped beneath concrete rubble.
- Utility crisis: Serious disruptions to electricity and water supplies have emerged in parts of the capital, and medical institutions have switched to emergency operating mode.