The EU ambassador suggested that Russia had carried out a targeted attack on a hotel housing diplomats in Kyiv

Katarina Maternová, the European Union’s ambassador to Ukraine, suggested that the massive Russian strike on Kyiv may have been a deliberate attack on the hotel where foreign diplomats were staying. 

In her view, the shelling of the building, which housed a significant number of diplomatic mission representatives, may be an attempt by the Kremlin to carry out its previous threats. 

At the same time, the diplomat emphasized that following this attack, none of the members of the diplomatic corps had expressed any intention to leave the Ukrainian capital. Describing the aftermath of the nighttime shelling, Maternova noted that a significant part of the city was ablaze, and authorities have so far confirmed the deaths of 13 people and injuries to another 84. She added that the only language Vladimir Putin understands remains force, and called for further tightening of sanctions against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also visited the site of the Russian strike in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district. The head of state called this attack one of the most massive since the start of the full-scale war. According to him, 131 structures in the capital were completely or partially destroyed as a result of the shelling; more than 100 people sought help, and 17 people were rescued. Search and rescue operations are continuing at the site of the strike, as people may still be trapped under the rubble of the buildings.

Source: RBC-Ukraine.