Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a bold call for regime change in Russia, following a deadly overnight missile and drone barrage on Kyiv that left at least seven civilians dead, including a six-year-old boy.
The harrowing assault by Russian forces reduced part of a nine-storey residential building in western Kyiv to rubble, leaving dozens more wounded. Rescue teams combed through the debris Thursday morning, recovering bodies and searching for survivors amid the twisted concrete and shattered remnants of daily life.
“Seven lives of Kyiv residents were taken by the Russians in their night attack,” confirmed Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration. The young boy, he added, succumbed to his injuries in an ambulance.
The strikes came during one of Russia’s heaviest aerial offensives in recent months, with Ukraine’s air force reporting that over 300 drones and eight cruise missiles were launched overnight — primarily targeting the capital.
Speaking virtually at a Helsinki Accords commemoration event, President Zelensky declared that the international community must aim beyond stopping the war — it must confront the Russian regime itself.
“If the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,” Zelensky warned.
His comments came amid renewed international scrutiny of Moscow’s actions, especially after former U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly issued a 10-day ultimatum demanding an end to the war or face tougher sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed a significant battlefield victory on Thursday, announcing the capture of Chasiv Yar — a strategically vital town in the embattled Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have fiercely denied the claim.
“Of course, this is not true,” said Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group, dismissing Moscow’s statement as “lies.”
Once home to 12,000 people, Chasiv Yar has been the site of intense fighting for months. If captured, the town would give Russian forces a tactical advantage to advance further toward key Ukrainian cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk — logistical hubs for Ukraine’s defence efforts in the east.
The Kremlin has prioritized capturing the entire Donetsk region, which it controversially annexed in 2022.
In the wake of the fresh assault on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials renewed calls for international partners to act decisively.
“President Trump has been very generous and very patient with Putin, trying to find a solution,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a post on X. “It’s time to make [Putin] feel the pain and consequences of his choices. It’s time to put maximum pressure on Moscow.”
While Russia has not commented on the latest missile attack or Zelensky’s remarks, it continues to deny targeting civilian infrastructure.
President Vladimir Putin, for his part, has consistently called for Zelensky’s removal from office and questioned his legitimacy — deepening the entrenched animosity between the two leaders.
As the war enters its fourth year, the human toll continues to mount, and the prospect of peace remains distant.
AFP
