Russia pounds Kyiv with ballistic missiles on eve of school year

Three children were among the wounded as Russia ended a six-day assault on the Ukrainian capital with a massive ballistic missile strike, damaging civilian infrastructure in five of Kyiv’s ten districts. The barrage capped a week of near-daily attacks on the city, a campaign that began just two days after the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency made an unannounced visit to Moscow. Local authorities confirmed that residential and civilian facilities were hit, though the full extent of the damage was still being assessed. The timing of the final strike—on the night before schools were set to reopen—raised alarm among parents and officials alike. Kyiv has repeatedly been a target of Russian long-range strikes throughout the war, but the intensity and timing of this latest wave drew particular concern. The CIA director’s trip to the Russian capital, the purpose of which was not publicly detailed, added a diplomatic layer to the military escalation. Emergency crews worked through the night to clear rubble and restore power, while city officials urged residents to stay in shelters as the threat of further launches remained.