Zelenskyy cuts short South Africa visit after Russian strike on Kyiv kills 9 | World News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is cutting short his official trip to South Africa and returning home after a Russian strike on the capital, Kyiv, killed at least nine people and injured more than 70. In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy announced he would fly back to Kyiv after meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The visit was aimed at garnering additional support from South Africa in Ukraine’s effort to end the war, now entering its fourth year.
The deadly overnight assault came just hours after peace negotiations showed signs of faltering. US President Donald Trump criticized Zelenskyy, accusing him of prolonging the “killing field” refusing to concede Crimea to Russia. Later, Trump remarked that “it’s been harder” to deal with Zelenskyy than with Russia.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that recognizing any occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a non-negotiable red line.
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Drones and missiles rain down on Kyiv
According to the Kyiv City Military Adminration, the capital was struck with drones and ballic missiles around 1:00 am. At least 45 drones were detected, it said on Telegram, while Ukraine’s Air Force was expected to provide an updated tally. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service confirmed that at least 42 people were hospitalized.
Rescue operations continued into Thursday morning.
At one nearly levelled residential building, emergency crews removed rubble hand to pull survivors from the debris. Fires were reported in several neighborhoods, including Sviatoshynkskyi, where a blaze broke out in a damaged residential building. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military adminration, confirmed damage in at least five dricts.
(With inputs from AP)
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