During the night of 15 June, the Russian army launched another large-scale attack. Russia deployed drones and missiles in several waves. As of 10:20, five people had been confirmed dead in Kyiv (four in the Solomyanskyy, Obolonskyy and Holosiyivskyy districts, with a fifth victim dying after being hospitalised), while 35 others were injured. Among the injured are a pregnant woman and two children.
There were also casualties in Kharkiv. Rescue workers responding to fires caused by the strike were killed, and several State Emergency Service personnel were injured.
Damage has been reported in almost every district of Kyiv. Among the affected sites are the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Mystetskyy Arsenal and the Dovzhenko Film Studio. Valeriy Kopiyka, Acting Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, also reported damage to one of the university’s buildings.
“The university is operating as normal. There is no critical damage. According to the duty staff, a couple of windows have been broken in the KGRT building and in one of the halls of residence,” he wrote on Facebook.
In total, at least 26 sites across the city have been damaged, with fires covering around 6,000 square metres, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
“Today’s attack was not only aimed at killing and injuring civilians. The occupiers directed drones and missiles against history, religion, art and education,” he said.
Initially, drones damaged vehicles in the Obolon district. Later, Russian munitions struck a high-rise residential building. According to updated information from the State Emergency Service, the strikes caused 30 vehicles to catch fire, ignited fires in storage facilities, damaged residential buildings and shattered windows and doors. In one multi-storey residential building, a fire broke out between the third and fourth floors. A nine-storey residential building was also struck twice. Two people were injured.
Podilskyy district: strikes caused fires in a private house and a multi-storey residential building.
As of 5:44, around 50 locations in the capital were known to have been affected. Earlier, at 1:48, there were reports of damage to five high-rise buildings. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, including the Assumption Cathedral, also caught fire. According to Tkachenko, the cathedral was hit directly. The fire covered 800 square metres and was extinguished by 8:35.
“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the monastery’s community, everyone involved, and the selfless work of the rescue teams and fire crews, we were able to minimise the danger to people and preserve the sacred sites. At present, efforts are underway to deal with the aftermath of the attack, assess the damage caused and document all the circumstances of the incident,” Bishop Avraam reported.
Subsequently, the State Emergency Service reported damage to the Mystetskyy Arsenal over an area of 1,000 square metres. The complex, located opposite the Lavra, was struck while firefighters were extinguishing the blaze at the cathedral.
In the Pecherskyy district, residential buildings were also hit, resulting in further fires.
Solomyanskyy district: a nine-storey residential building was struck, causing fires on the fifth and sixth floors. Twelve people, including three children, were rescued.
Holosiyivskyy district: fires broke out in a warehouse building, and a critical infrastructure facility was struck.
Shevchenkivskyy district: strikes damaged a non-residential building, residential properties and commercial premises. Three people were rescued from a 25-storey residential building, while another person was freed from a lift and handed over to medics with burns. The fire has been contained.
Desnyanskyy district: a fire broke out on the premises of a pre-school educational institution.
Darnytskyy district: falling debris caused a fire.
Svyatoshynskyy district: residential buildings were damaged, though no fires were reported.
Dniprovskyy district: a private residential building was reportedly damaged. A nearby residential complex also sustained damage.
The attack caused widespread power outages in the city. Around 140,000 customers lost electricity after power lines were damaged. As of 09:00, electricity had been restored to 105,000 customers.
In Kharkiv, the Kholodnohirskyy district came under attack. There were casualties. Five rescue workers who had been extinguishing fires after the strike were killed, while a further five were injured.
Russians also attacked Dnipro. A college building was destroyed, while a school and a cultural institution sustained damage.
In the Sumy Region, three people were injured.
In the Kyiv Region, damage was reported in the Vyshhorod, Brovary, Bucha, Fastiv and Boryspil districts.