U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer lambasted<\/a> the \u201csenseless\u201d strikes and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin <\/a>of \u201csabotaging hopes of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPutin is killing children and civilians\u2026 the bloodshed must end,\u201d he implored.<\/p>\n U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed Starmer\u2019s stance and announced<\/a> they \u201chave summoned the Russian Ambassador.\u201d<\/p>\n Ursula von der Leyen, president of the E.U. Commission, also condemned the attacks that struck the E.U. delegation for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother night of Russia\u2019s relentless bombings struck civilian infrastructure and killed innocents\u2026 Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace,\u201d she said<\/a>, confirming that the E.U. mission staff were safe.<\/p>\n President of the European Council Ant\u00f3nio Costa said he was<\/a> \u201chorrified\u201d by the assault and insisted the \u201cE.U. will not be intimidated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRussia\u2019s aggression only strengthens our resolve to stand with Ukraine and its people,\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that Russia had \u201cshown its true face again\u201d with the deadly attack.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that the E.U. representation has now also come under fire testifies to the growing ruthlessness of the Russian regime,\u201d argued<\/a> Merz.<\/p>\n French President Emmanuel Macron said<\/a> his country \u201ccondemns these senseless and cruel attacks in the strongest possible terms\u201d and offered \u201cfull support to the Ukrainian people and deepest compassion for all the grieving families.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More<\/strong>: How Putin Brushed Off Trump\u2019s Latest Push for Peace in Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n The British Council in Ukraine<\/a> confirmed that its offices had \u201csuffered significant damage\u201d as a result of the strikes. It will be closed until further notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThankfully, our colleagues are all safe and our work with our Ukrainian partners in education and culture will continue uninterrupted,\u201d a spokesperson for the British Council told TIME in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n According to an update shared by Ukraine\u2019s Air Force<\/a> on Thursday morning, Russia launched around 598 strike drones into Ukraine overnight into the early hours of the morning, as well as 31 missiles of varying types from launch sites in Kursk and Crimea<\/a>, amongst other locations.<\/p>\n Tkachenko said<\/a> that there was \u201csignificant damage to residential buildings in the Darnytsia and Dnipro districts,\u201d including a five-story residential block in Darnytsia that had been destroyed with \u201ca direct hit.\u201d<\/p>\n Search and rescue operations continue in the Darnytsia district in the west of the city.<\/p>\n In response to the barrage of strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> reiterated his calls for stronger sanctions to be placed on Russia. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is crucial now that the world responds firmly. Russia must stop this war it started and continues. For the spurning of cease-fire and for the constant Russian attempts to weasel out of negotiations, new strong sanctions are needed,\u201d said Zelensky<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Russian Ministry of Defence said that it had struck targets \u201cwithin Ukraine\u2019s military-industrial complex\u201d and that \u201call designated objects were hit,\u201d according to the Associated Press.<\/a><\/p>\n The Ministry has also stated that it had intercepted and destroyed 102 Ukrainian drones within Russia overnight, according to state media<\/a>, with Yury Slyusar, acting Governor of the Rostov Region, stating<\/a> that 21 drones had been destroyed in the Samara and Rostov regions, with 89 residents reportedly evacuated due to the \u201cthreat of detonation.”<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s fervent strikes against Ukraine come after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Putin in Alaska for a \u201chigh-stakes<\/a>\u201d summit earlier this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n The meeting served as the first in-person encounter between Trump and Putin since 2019<\/a>, and was intended to foster discussions about a path toward a potential cease-fire, but it ended earlier than expected and, notably, without a deal being reached. <\/p>\n Trump has since met with Zelensky and key European leaders, including Starmer, at the White House to discuss possible steps forward.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Zelensky\u2019s European allies stand ready to \u201cincrease pressure\u201d on Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do stand ready to increase pressure on Russia, particularly the economy, with sanctions and wider measures as may be necessary,\u201d Starmer said<\/a> in mid-August. \u201cIt\u2019s important we all continue to work alongside Presidents Trump and Zelensky for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n Keith Kellogg, Trump\u2019s special envoy to Ukraine, called the strikes on Thursday \u201cegregious\u201d and argued they \u201cthreaten the peace\u201d that the U.S. is actively pursuing.<\/p>\n![\"TOPSHOT-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-EU\"](\"https:\/\/time.com\/redesign\/_next\/image\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.time.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F08%2FGettyImages-2231738154.jpg&w=3840&q=75\"\/)
An E.U. employee reviews the damage in the offices of the European Union delegation in Ukraine after a Russian missile and drone attack in the country’s capital, Kyiv, on Aug. 28, 2025. Sergei Supinsky\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Bombardment](\"https:\/\/time.com\/redesign\/_next\/image\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.time.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F08%2Fovernight-kyiv-strikes-aug28.jpg&w=3840&q=75\"\/)
Rescuers search within the rubble after a Russian ballistic missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 28, 2025. Pierre Crom\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n