KYIV, Ukraine — Russia has pummeled Ukraine with a record number of drones, killing four and hitting the main government building in Kyiv for the first time in the war, as ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire appear to make little impression on President Vladimir Putin.

Russian forces deployed more than 800 drones in the overnight attacks, alongside several missiles and cruise missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, with dozens reported injured across Ukraine.

“For the first time, an enemy attack damaged the government building, the roof and the upper floors,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram on Sunday.

She published images showing flames leaping from three windows of the building in the heart of Kiev.

No one was injured in that strike, according to Svyrydenko, who vowed that the “Russian terror” would not deter the government’s work.

While buildings could be rebuilt, it was impossible to bring back lives lost, the premier said, calling on the international community to put more sanctions on Russia, particularly on its gas and oil trade.

Leaders condemn attack

European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas and French President Emmanuel extended their condolences to Ukraine, which continues to fight back more than three and a half years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

“Once again, the Kremlin is mocking diplomacy, trampling international law and killing indiscriminately,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X.

“Talking about peace while escalating bombings and targeting government buildings and homes — this is Putin’s version of ‘peace,’” European Council President António Costa wrote on the platform.

The German Foreign Office struck a similar tone, writing on X: “Once again it’s becoming clear: Putin does not want to negotiate, he wants to continue to create bloody facts.”

No progress on the diplomatic front

Diplomatic efforts spearheaded by U.S. President Donald Trump, who met with Putin in Alaska last month, appear to have stalled and it remains unclear whether a peace deal can be reached any time soon, as Moscow considers itself to have the upper hand on the front and continues to insist on its demands, which would equal a Ukrainian capitulation.

A trilateral meeting floated by Trump between himself, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seems to be unlikely, after Putin insisted it should be held in Moscow, a condition unacceptable to the Ukrainian leader, who suggested Putin come to Kyiv instead.

Speaking to journalists at the White House on Sunday, Trump said he was ready to put more sanctions on Russia.

Asked by a reporter whether he was ready for the next step after recently putting tariffs on India over its continued oil trade with Russia, the U.S. president said, “Yeah, I am,” without elaborating further.

‘Stop the killings’

Zelenskyy on Sunday urged further consequences for Russia following the latest attacks.

“The world can force the Kremlin criminals to stop the killings – all that is needed is political will,” Zelensky wrote on social media.

He also criticized the United States. “It has been repeatedly said in Washington that sanctions will follow a refusal to talk,” he said, referring to past threats made by Trump.

Widespread damage in Kyiv

According to Zelensky, people lost their lives in Kyiv, the border region of Sumy and in Chernihiv amid the Russian strikes.

According to the authorities, a mother and her 3-month-old son were killed in Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said earlier on Sunday that at least two people were killed in the capital, including a child, and another 11 people were injured.

Some 64 flats were damaged in the Sviatoshynskyi district alone, with cleanup efforts ongoing, according to the authorities.

Over 44 people were injured across Ukraine, according to Zelenskyy, while over 20 buildings and a kindergarten were damaged in Zaporizhzhya.

In Zelenskyy’s home city of Kryvyi Rih, warehouses were destroyed, and a high-rise building was hit in Odessa.

In Odessa, drones struck homes and civilian infrastructure, Governor Oleh Kiper was quoted as saying by the Kyiv Independent newspaper.

Further damage

Russian attacks also damaged a railway bridge across the Dnipro River in the central city of Kremenchuk, according to the railway operator.

“There will be train delays in the region over the next few days while the complex repairs are carried out,” the state-owned company said.

The Russian military reported targeting Ukrainian arms factories and transport infrastructure in the neighboring country. According to the Defense Ministry, the attacks targeted production facilities, repair workshops and drone storage facilities.

“No strikes were carried out on other objects within the borders of Kyiv,” the statement said.

Ukraine targets Russian oil infrastructure

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said that it has hit Russian oil pipeline infrastructure as well as a refinery, as it continues to target energy facilities in the neighboring country to disrupt supplies for Russia’s armed forces.

The Ukrainian General Staff said one object that is part of an oil pipeline was targeted in the western Bryansk region.

Numerous hits were recorded as well as a number of fires that broke out at the facility, which is of strategic importance for the supply of the Russian army, the Ukrainian General Staff posted on Facebook.

Russia has so far not confirmed an attack on its oil pipeline infrastructure.

It comes after Ukraine repeatedly targeted Russia’s Druzhba pipeline, which also runs through Bryansk and supplies Slovakia and Hungary with oil — leading to tensions with the two EU member states.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjárto said on Sunday that deliveries via the pipeline to the country have not been impacted following the latest Ukrainian attacks.

The Ukrainian General Staff also reported strikes on the Ilski oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. Videos of explosions purportedly showing the attack were circulating on social media.

The Krasnodar region crisis management department wrote on Telegram that falling drone debris had landed on the refinery grounds. A technical facility had caught fire and been quickly extinguished, it said.

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