Russia pummels Kyiv, killing at least 16 and denting peace hopes

Russia pummelled Kyiv for hours on Thursday, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an attack that killed at least 16 people, including two children, and further shredded hopes of a halt to Moscow's grinding war.

Air raid sirens wailed across the capital before several hours of thunderous explosions and flashes in the sky sent Kyiv residents running to shelter in metro stations.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 675 attack drones and 56 missiles, mainly at Kyiv, adding its air defence units had downed 652 of the drones and 41 missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said 20 sites in the capital were damaged, including homes, a school, a veterinary clinic and other civilian infrastructure.

"Work is still ongoing in Kyiv at the site of the strike on the building –- a Russian missile strike that literally levelled a residential block, from the first to the ninth floor," he said in an evening address.

Sixteen people including two children were killed by the attacks, said Ukraine's emergency service.

Seven bodies were pulled from the rubble of a single destroyed residential building -- three men, three women, and a young girl, police said.

Another 45 were wounded.

Ballistic challenge

Russian attacks also wounded people in the southern regions of Odesa and Kherson, and in the eastern region of Kharkiv.

"These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end. It is important that partners do not remain silent about this strike," Zelensky said.

Ukraine said it shot down 94 percent of all drones and 73 percent of the missiles fired by Russia.

"The most difficult challenge is defending against ballistic missiles," he said.

A slew of Ukraine's allies, including the United Kingdom, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, the Netherlands, Moldova, and Slovakia, condemned the fatal attacks.

"By bombing civilians, Russia demonstrates less its strength than its weakness: it is running out of solutions on the military front and does not know how to end its war of aggression," French President Emmanuel Macron said.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the attacks on Kyiv showed that Russia "openly mocks" efforts to end the war.

Russia, which started the war with Ukraine more than four years ago, said the wave of missiles and drones had targeted military-linked sites and energy facilities that support the Ukrainian army.

The conflict is the worst in Europe since World War II and has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.