Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on global allies to pursue regime change in Russia, following a devastating overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv that left seven people dead, including a six-year-old boy.
The assault, which struck a nine-storey residential building in the western suburbs of the capital, injured dozens and left a trail of destruction. Ukrainian authorities described the strike as one of the most brutal in recent months, with emergency workers seen combing through smouldering rubble, searching for survivors.
“Seven lives of Kyiv residents were taken by the Russians in their night attack,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration. “Among them was a child who died in an ambulance.”
The Ukrainian air force reported that over 300 drones and eight cruise missiles were fired across the country between late Wednesday and early Thursday, with Kyiv being the primary target.
Speaking virtually at a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Cold War-era Helsinki Accords, Zelensky warned that unless the world aims to change Russia’s regime, peace in the region would remain fragile.
“If the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, then even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,” he said.
The call came just hours after Russia claimed it had captured the strategically critical town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine — a claim Ukraine firmly rejected.
“This is not true,” said Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group of Forces. However, if confirmed, the capture could signal a significant advance for Moscow in its ongoing efforts to control the Donetsk region.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated that Chasiv Yar — once home to 12,000 people and now largely destroyed — had been “liberated.” The town’s fall could open the path to key Ukrainian strongholds like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
With the war dragging into its fourth year and US President Donald Trump recently issuing a 10-day ultimatum to Russia to halt its invasion or face new sanctions, Ukrainian officials are pressing for stronger international action.
“President Trump has been very generous and patient with Putin,” said Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiga. “It’s time to make him feel the pain and consequences of his choices. It’s time to put maximum pressure on Moscow.”
The Kremlin has not commented on the latest strikes or Zelensky’s call for regime change, though President Putin has long questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy and previously called for his removal from power.
