A series of Russian missiles allegedly struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday, hitting a residential structure and a kindergarten, officials said. The attack reportedly killed one person and wounded six more as air strikes increase in the country for a second day.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, “They (rescuers) have pulled out a seven-year-old girl. She is alive. Now they’re trying to rescue her mother. There are people under the rubble,” he said.
Volodymyr Bondarenko, the city’s deputy mayor, said four injured people were taken to the hospital as search and rescue teams resumed operations.
Bondarenko also said a missile struck a kindergarten but that there were no injuries. A video released by Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs showed missile damage to the kindergarten’s backyard.
A 7-year-old girl was injured in the residential block, he confirmed. Her mother, a 35-year-old citizen of Russia named Katerina, was retrieved from the ruins and taken to the hospital.
The deputy mayor also said that blasts were heard in other areas of Kyiv on Sunday, but these were the sound of air defense eliminating other incoming attacks.
A Ukrainian air force spokesperson claimed Russian bombers fired four to six long-range missiles from more than half a mile away in the southern Russian region of Astrakhan on Sunday. The area looks out onto the Caspian Sea.
The incident occurred while leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations gathered in Germany for the first day of the organization’s annual summit.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said G7 countries should answer Russian aggression by increasing sanctions on Russia and delivering more heavy weapons to Ukraine.
On Sunday, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region’s military administration, said Russian troops were assembling for new raids in the area, most of which is under Ukrainian command.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, which has denied targeting civilians.