Daijiworld Media Network- Kyiv
Kyiv, Aug 1: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on international allies to aim for regime change in Russia, shortly after a Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv killed 16 people, including a six-year-old boy, and injured over 150 others.
The overnight assault destroyed part of a nine-storey apartment building in Kyiv’s western suburbs. Emergency responders were seen digging through debris, with personal belongings scattered across the rubble. A child died en route to the hospital, officials said.
Speaking at a conference marking 50 years since the Helsinki Accords, Zelensky said the world must push Russia to end the war, but warned that as long as the current regime remains in power, Moscow will continue threatening regional stability.
Russia claimed responsibility for the strikes, saying it targeted military infrastructure, including an airfield and drone facilities. Ukraine’s military confirmed that more than 300 drones and eight cruise missiles were fired, with Kyiv being the main target.
Meanwhile, Russia also announced the capture of Chasiv Yar, a key town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Zelensky dismissed the claim as false, stating that Ukrainian troops were still holding their positions, though Ukrainian military experts admitted that parts of the town had fallen to Russian forces.
As international condemnation mounted, US President Donald Trump criticized Moscow’s actions and said new sanctions would be imposed. However, he expressed doubt over their effectiveness, suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unfazed by such measures.
Domestically, Zelensky faced backlash over a recently signed law that weakened anti-corruption bodies. Amid widespread protests and criticism from the European Union, the Ukrainian parliament overturned the law, seen as a major climbdown by the president.
The war, now in its fourth year, continues to intensify, with mounting casualties, political unrest, and deepening calls for stronger global intervention.