Officials warn the number of injured could rise after the second rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital this week.
At least 45 people were injured and a children’s hospital and homes were damaged after Russia launched a rocket attack on Kiev early Wednesday morning.
People were woken at around 3am (0100 GMT) by a series of loud explosions as air defense systems downed a series of missiles aimed at the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 45 people were injured after debris from the intercepted rockets fell on the eastern side of the Dnipro River that runs through the capital. Eighteen people, including two children, were taken to hospital, the others were treated at the scene.
An apartment building, a private home and several cars caught fire, while the windows and entrance of a children’s hospital in Kiev’s Dniprovskyi district were destroyed, Klitschko said. Falling rocket debris also damaged the water supply system.
The specific weapons Russia used in the attack were not immediately known.
On Monday, a Russian rocket attack destroyed several homes on the outskirts of Kiev, wounding four people and cutting electricity to more than 100 households.
The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in the United States and urged right-wing Republicans to support billions of dollars in new military aid for his country.
US President Joe Biden warned lawmakers they would risk giving Russia a “Christmas present” if they did not approve the aid.
The latest attack also damaged buildings in Kiev’s Desnyanskyi and Darnytskyi districts.
Serhiy Popko, the head of Kiev’s military government, said most of the injuries were caused by windows blown out by the blast wave.
“There are a lot of injured people,” Popko said, suggesting the number of injured could rise.
