Zelenskyy Cuts South Africa Visit Short After Deadly Russian Missile Strike on Kyiv Kills 9, Injures Over 70
- Victor Nwoko
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that he is cutting short his diplomatic visit to South Africa and returning to Kyiv after a major Russian missile and drone assault on the Ukrainian capital killed at least nine people and injured more than 70. The strike, which began around 1 a.m., targeted at least five residential neighborhoods in the city and left dozens of civilians hospitalized, including children and the elderly.
The attack came amid heightened tensions and fragile peace negotiations, which have made no meaningful progress despite weeks of discussions. President Donald Trump had publicly criticized Zelenskyy just a day earlier, blaming the Ukrainian leader for prolonging what he called a “killing field” by refusing to concede the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula as part of a potential peace deal.
Zelenskyy reaffirmed that surrendering Ukrainian territory is a red line his country will not cross. He said Ukraine had accepted a U.S.-proposed ceasefire agreement 44 days ago, but that Russia had continued its assault unabated. The latest attack on Kyiv follows a string of deadly Russian strikes, including an air assault on Sumy that killed over 30 civilians during a Palm Sunday gathering, a drone attack on Odesa, and powerful glide bomb strikes on Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that 42 people were hospitalized following the nighttime bombardment of Kyiv. Fires erupted across multiple residential buildings, and emergency crews worked through the night with flashlights, digging through the rubble of destroyed homes by hand. In one instance, a woman was pulled from debris, covered in white dust and writhing in pain. Another elderly woman sat against a wall, her face bloodied, staring silently as medics treated her injuries.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, confirmed that several fires were reported in residential buildings across the five affected districts. The intensity and coordination of the attack shook residents, many of whom sought safety in public air raid shelters throughout the night, bringing pets and children as explosions echoed across the capital and flashes lit up the sky.
Oksana Bilozir, a student wounded in the strike, described the terrifying moment when her home’s walls collapsed after a second blast. “I honestly don’t even know how this will all end, it’s very scary,” she said, her head bandaged and blood-stained. “I only believe that if we can stop them on the battlefield, then that’s it. No diplomacy works here.”
Other regions across Ukraine also reported overnight aerial assaults. Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs condemned the Kyiv strike as a gross violation of international humanitarian law, stating that “civilians must never be targets” and urging an end to what it called a “senseless use of force.”
In a Telegram message, Zelenskyy confirmed he would return to Kyiv after a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, where he had hoped to rally support for Ukraine’s resistance and peace efforts. The war, now entering its fourth year, has devastated cities, displaced millions, and left diplomatic efforts hanging in the balance.
Anastasiia Zhuravlova, 33, a mother of two, recounted the chaos when explosions shattered her family’s windows and tossed kitchen appliances through the air. Glass fragments rained down as she rushed her children to safety. “After that we came to the shelter because it was scary and dangerous at home,” she said from a basement shelter.
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