Russian air strikes become deadly and greater, getting into the very heart of Ukraine

Ukraine showed that reporters of the missile fragments say that this weekend hit the key government building in Kiev, defining it as a Russian cruise missile of Iskander.

Officials now believe that the building was intentionally impressed in the early o’clock in the morning on Sunday.

Vladimir Putin’s reaction to Donald Trump’s peaceful efforts became a clear escalation in Russian attacks.

But they do not focus only on the Ukrainian capital.

In the eastern region of Donbass on Tuesday, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian bomb when they were in line to gather their pensions.

Volodimir Zelensky condemned the strike in the village of Yarov as a “savage” and called the allies of Ukraine again to increase pressure on Moscow through sanctions.

His office said that some US and European weapons components still reach Russia, including Iskander missiles. Moscow has already replaced the rest of its own production.

“We need strong actions to stop death,” the President of Ukraine wrote.

Our team was shot on Sunday morning during the air raid on Central Kiev and captured the moment when the cabinet was applied. Images seem to show a direct strike: the rocket suddenly arc down, just before the explosion.

There is no indication that it is intercepted by air protection.

When we were allowed into a huge Soviet era building to see the damage, the smelling smell was strengthened when we rose to the top floor.

The roof and part of the walls in the damaged terrain were spread, and the floor has a holy hole.

Around, cut off cables hang from what is left of any ceiling.

Rocket – packed more than 100 kg (220 pounds) explosives – did not undermine, so the damage is limited by three floors. But it’s still important.

We saw fragments of this rocket that are now gathering as evidence: crippled metal pieces, some with Cyrillic inscriptions collected in the pile.

Weapons experts with whom we consulted, agree that it is like a Russian cruise missile and say that the damage corresponds to Iskander but does not explode.

“Sometimes the fuses do not work, and the rockets just won’t fall.

“I think he got into the building,” said the military analyst Oleksandr Musienko here in Kiev.

“This rocket has high speed and low height. It is actually difficult to see on the radar. And, of course, we, for example, lack air defense systems, such as (US) patriots that we can use to knock them down.”

In Kyiv, an increase in attacks in the early morning is obvious: they became more often – but most importantly, they are on scale. Now Russia launches hundreds of drones at a time, intentionally draining Ukraine’s resources.

That is why Zelensky constantly calls for more missiles: someone far from Kiev may seem like he was stuck on a repetition. But for people here may be a difference between life and death.

Russia’s strikes are not only symbolic, on empty government buildings. They also regularly get into the homes of people as we saw again this week.

“Sometimes many such drones are baits – without explosives – just weaken our air defense systems,” Musienko explained.

“We have never seen such attacks in our history. Of course, this is a threat.”

Closer to the front line, the tactic is different: deadly sliding bombs come almost without warning.

In Yarava, those who were killed this time were elderly. These are people who are most reluctant or less likely to leave their homes, even if the fight is closed again. The village was occupied by the Russians at the beginning of a full -scale invasion of 2022, after which it was later liberated by Ukrainian troops.

At least 24 people who have survived all that have died now.

Images from the stage show that their bodies are spread on the ground and broken by a minibus at the post office that took out pensions. He parked under the tree for cover, hoping that it was not visible – but the bomb still struck.

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andrei Sibikh called it a “barbaric” strike of Russia and a “horrific crime” against those people and the region Putin, who claimed that he demanded a savings when he ordered to invade.

“We urge the world to speak and act immediately,” Sibikh said.

But Ukraine wants more than condemnation. This still calls for action against the Russian economy and the defense sector.

Presidential Advisor Zelensky Vladislav Ulasiuk told me that the sanctions imposed so far have changed.

According to him, Ukrainian teams have been studying the remains of missiles and drones, launched by Russia since 2022, and the percentage of Western production components has decreased.

But it was still not eliminated.

“There are fewer western parts, it’s good,” Mr. Vlasiuk explained. “But the bad thing is that the number of Russian parts has increased, which means that Russia produces things they could not do before, including microchips.”

Increasing cooperation with China in the production of drones has also complicated them, he said.

This may be the fact that Russia for the first time will enter the main government building in Kiev – in the most densely protective quarter of this city.

“It’s scary that they hit the center,” Alena said on Tuesday, pushing the baby to a baby stroller near the cabinet.

“There were always drones here,” the husband added. “It’s just they flew over their heads, and now they can hit.”