"UK and EU call in Russian diplomats over Kyiv embassy attacks"

The UK and European Union have called in their Russian representatives after overnight missile strikes on Kyiv resulted in at least 18 deaths and damaged facilities associated with British and European operations in the city.

Among the victims were four children after a residential building in the Darnytskyi district was struck overnight, according to Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko.

Later, another person was killed in a separate explosion in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where several buildings—including those linked to the EU’s mission in Ukraine and the British Council—were heavily damaged.

Ukraine’s air force reported that the country was targeted with 629 missiles and drones overnight, one of the largest such assaults since the conflict began.

The UK Foreign Office summoned Russia’s ambassador, Andrey Kelin, in response to the extensive damage. Government sources confirmed this marked the first time British-affiliated facilities had been affected since the start of the conflict.

"The overnight strikes caused civilian casualties, destroyed homes, and damaged buildings affiliated with the British Council and the EU delegation in Kyiv," said David Lammy, the UK’s foreign secretary, in a statement. “We have called in the Russian ambassador. This violence must end.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the attacks as “senseless” and accused Russia of undermining efforts toward peace.

Images shared by the British Council showed broken windows and debris surrounding the damaged structure. Other released photographs revealed interiors with collapsed ceilings and shattered glass.

While the British Council offices sustained heavy damage, they were not directly hit, instead suffering from shrapnel impacts, according to Scott McDonald, the organization’s leader. A guard was injured but remained in stable condition.

The EU delegation’s offices were “significantly affected by the blast wave,” said Katarína Mathernová, the EU’s representative in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the strikes demonstrated Russia’s unwillingness to engage in peaceful negotiations. “Today’s missile and drone attacks are Moscow’s response to calls for diplomacy and a ceasefire,” he said in an online post. “Russia has chosen destruction over dialogue.”

In an official statement, Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, said the attacks proved that Russian leadership “will use any means to inflict suffering, indiscriminately targeting civilians—men, women, and children—and even hitting sites tied to the European Union.”

EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas stated the assault was “a deliberate escalation and a rejection of peace efforts.”