Russian strike hits Zelensky party HQ in Kyiv, killing seven

A Russian drone strike hit a conference center in central Kyiv on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 46 others, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The building houses the headquarters of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party and hosts visiting foreign leaders.

The attack took place in daylight while Zelensky was speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, where he warned Ukraine would target Russian energy infrastructure this winter. AFP reporters saw the building's upper floors blackened by fire.

“Russia will think carefully before resuming peace talks after Ukrainian drone attacks on September 20.”

Among the dead was a 14-year-old boy with Israeli citizenship; his mother is among the injured, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed. A separate strike on a post office in the Odesa region killed one person.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN Security Council that Moscow rejects a "pause" in hostilities, accusing Europe of seeking a ceasefire only to rearm Kyiv. President Vladimir Putin later stated Russia would "think carefully" before resuming peace talks following Ukrainian drone attacks on September 20.

Zelensky said a warehouse used by the McDonald's chain was also hit near Kyiv. ACLED data cited by Protothema indicates Kyiv has suffered its most intense bombardment levels since 2022.