Kyiv mourns after deadliest attack in a year kills 31 people

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv observed an official day of mourning on Friday, a day after a Russian drone and missile attack on the city killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150, officials said.

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The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes was 2 years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

It was the highest number of children killed and injured in a single attack on Kyiv since aerial attacks on the city began in October 2022, according to official casualty figures reported by reporters.

It was also the deadliest attack on the city since July last year, when 33 were killed.

The death toll rose overnight as emergency crews continued to dig through rubble. The Russian barrage demolished a large part of a nine-story residential building in the city, while more than 100 other buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, officials said.

Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders including US President Donald Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war. The Russian tactic aims to spread terror and wear down public appetite for the war.