Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin has been summoned to an urgent meeting at the Foreign Office after Moscow’s overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv damaged a British Council building, killing at least 17 people including four children in one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the strikes that hit civilian areas across seven districts of Kyiv early Thursday morning, posting on social media: “Putin’s strikes last night killed civilians, destroyed homes and damaged buildings, including the British Council and EU Delegation in Kyiv. We have summoned the Russian Ambassador. The killing and destruction must stop.”
The assault involved 629 drones and hypersonic missiles launched at the Ukrainian capital in what officials described as the second-largest aerial barrage of the entire war. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 563 drones and 26 missiles, but the strikes that penetrated defences devastated residential neighbourhoods, with at least 48 people wounded and casualties expected to rise as rescue teams search rubble for survivors.
British Council Building Severely Damaged
The British Council office in central Kyiv sustained severe damage in the attack, with windows blown out and debris scattered across surrounding streets. A security guard working at the UK facility was injured and hospitalised. The organisation, which operates independently but receives Foreign Office funding to promote international cultural and educational opportunities, announced its office would remain closed to visitors until further notice.
Following last night’s attack on Kyiv, our British Council office has been severely damaged and will be closed to visitors until further notice,” the British Council in Ukraine said in a statement. “While there may be some delays in our responses, our work with our Ukrainian partners in education and culture continues.”
British journalist Caolan Robertson, who has been reporting from Ukraine, noted the building “regularly full of British government officials” had been deliberately targeted. “They were absolutely not stopped by hitting this building, and they will hit such buildings again and again without hesitation,” he said at the scene. “And if you look around this street, there are no military targets here. This is a residential street where people slept, where children slept.”
EU Delegation Also Targeted
The European Union’s delegation building in Kyiv also suffered serious damage in the strikes, though no EU staff were injured. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack, stating the drone and missile assault “shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine, blindly killing civilians, men, women and children, and even targeting the European Union.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed Brussels would also summon its Russian envoy over the strikes, posting photos showing blown-out windows, partially collapsed ceilings and debris scattered throughout the EU offices. “The EU Delegation in Kyiv was damaged by today’s Russian strikes on civilian areas,” she said. I strongly condemn these brutal attacks, a clear sign that Russia rejects peace and chooses terror.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said targeting diplomatic buildings constituted “direct breach of the Vienna convention” on diplomatic relations, requiring worldwide condemnation.
Prime Minister Accuses Putin of “Sabotaging Peace”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who recently returned from White House peace talks with US President Donald Trump and European leaders, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “sabotaging” any hopes of peace with the “senseless” overnight attacks.
“My thoughts are with all those affected by the senseless Russian strikes on Kyiv which have damaged the British Council building,” Starmer posted on social media platform X. “Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end.”
The strikes came despite ongoing diplomatic efforts spearheaded by President Trump, who met Putin in Alaska on 15 August before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on 18 August to discuss security guarantees and potential peace negotiations.
Devastating Civilian Impact
The heaviest strikes hit Kyiv’s densely populated Darnytskyi district, where a multi-storey apartment building took a direct hit from an Iskander ballistic missile, creating a five-storey crater and ripping the structure in two. Fourteen of the confirmed deaths occurred at this single location, with rescue teams working through the morning to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed concrete.
“These were civilian homes,” reported Al Jazeera correspondent Zein Basravi from the scene. “What we’re hearing from rescue crews is that there are still people missing. We’re seeing families waiting, people trying to console one another.”
Oleksandr Khilko told reporters he arrived at the destroyed building where his sister lived and heard screams from people trapped under rubble. “It’s inhuman, striking civilians,” he said, his clothes covered in dust after pulling out three survivors. “With every cell of my body, I want this war to end as soon as possible.”
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday would be a day of mourning for victims, with flags lowered on public buildings and public events banned. Emergency efforts continued at twenty sites across the Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, Solomyanskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Holosiivskyi, Obolonskyi, and Desnyanskyi districts.
Russia Claims Military Targets
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed the strikes targeted “military factories, a military airstrip’s infrastructure and an ammunition depot,” though evidence on the ground showed primarily residential buildings and civilian infrastructure had been hit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would “continue to strike military targets and infrastructure.”
The attack marked the first major combined Russian drone and missile assault on Kyiv since Trump’s diplomatic push began, raising questions about Moscow’s commitment to peace negotiations. Ukrainian President Zelensky said the strikes showed Russia’s rejection of diplomacy.
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Zelensky stated. “It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war. This means that Russia still does not fear the consequences. All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined. Russia must feel accountable for every strike, for every day of this war.
Diplomatic Context and Peace Efforts
The timing of the assault appears particularly provocative, coming just days after the unprecedented White House summit where Trump discussed security guarantees for Ukraine with European leaders. During those talks, Trump had claimed progress towards arranging a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, to be followed by trilateral negotiations.
French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of showing “terror and barbarism,” posting: “629 missiles and drones in a single night over Ukraine: this is Russia’s idea of peace.” He accused Moscow of “deliberately” targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said at a press conference: “Last night we once again experienced in a terrible way how Russia attacked and bombed Kyiv, civilians died, children died, and the European Union delegation was also attacked. And that cannot remain without consequences.”
Ambassador Summoned
Ambassador Andrey Kelin, who has served as Russia’s envoy to the UK since November 2019, is expected to meet with senior Foreign Office officials rather than ministers when summoned. The 68-year-old career diplomat, who holds the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, previously served as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
This is not the first time Kelin has been summoned over Russian actions. In April 2024, he was called in following allegations of Russian-orchestrated malign activity on UK soil, and in February 2022, he was summoned after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine.
The Foreign Office confirmed that any prisoner transfer application from El Shafee Elsheikh would be handled separately from diplomatic protests over the missile strikes, though both issues underscore tensions in UK-Russia relations.
As rescue operations continue in Kyiv and the international community condemns the attacks, the strikes represent a significant escalation that threatens to derail diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s largest conflict since World War Two. With civilian casualties mounting and diplomatic buildings targeted, pressure is growing for a coordinated Western response to what many see as Russia’s deliberate sabotage of peace negotiations.
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