Kyiv To Observe Day Of Mourning After Russian Strike Kills 12

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service April 25, 2025

Kyiv has declared April 25 a day of mourning for 12 people killed in a Russian missile-and-drone attack that hit the Ukrainian capital overnight, prompting US President Donald Trump to issue a rare rebuke of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions of Ukraine abroad will join Kyiv in mourning the victims of the attack by lowering flags to half staff, the Foreign Ministry announced on April 24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said while the citizens of Kyiv mourn the victims and clear away rubble, Ukraine's intelligence services are checking all details, including whether any of the missiles used were made in North Korea.

If this is found to be true, Zelenskyy said it would be more proof of the "criminality of the alliance" between Moscow and Pyongyang.

"They kill people and make a mockery of life together -- that's the only meaning of their cooperation," Zelenskyy said.

According to Zelenskyy, in exchange for assistance, Pyongyang receives the opportunity to "make its weapons more deadly" in real war conditions.

"Real pressure is needed on Russia to stop this," he said. "Even in the midst of international diplomatic efforts to stop this war, Russia continues to kill civilians. This means that Putin is not afraid."

Trump, who has been reluctant to criticize Russia, condemned the attack in a social media post addressed to Putin.

"I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv," he wrote. "Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, Stop! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let's get the Peace Deal Done!"

Zelenskyy, who cut short a visit to South Africa because of the attack, reiterated his call for a complete cessation of air strikes and said Ukraine needs to strengthen its air shield to guarantee the safety of its people.

Zelenskyy said early on April 25 that Russian forces had tried to use the air strikes as cover for intensified land-based attacks, but these were repelled.

"The Russians in fact tried, under cover of their mass air strikes, to make ground advances," Zelenskiy said on Telegram, referring to a report from top commander Oleksandr Syrskiy.

"When our forces were concentrating to the maximum on defending against missiles and drones, the Russians went ahead with intensified ground attacks. But they were repelled in worthy fashion."

While Kyiv bore the brunt of the massive attack -- authorities said 90 people were injured in the city in addition to the 12 killed -- the Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskiy, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhya regions also were hit.

Ukrainian law enforcement officials said at least 25 residential buildings were seriously damaged in Kyiv, and public facilities, including a kindergarten and a school, were affected by the air strikes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with US broadcaster CBS that Russia only targets Ukraine's military or civilian sites used by the military. Asked if the attack was intentional, Lavrov said the minister of defense and commanders in the field have the right to attack targets used by the Ukrainian military.

Western efforts to try and resolve the Ukraine war, or even secure a temporary cease-fire, have sputtered as Russia shows no indication it will ease its assault and as Ukraine pushes back on US proposals.

The Kremlin reportedly is seeking a peace agreement that would allow Russia to keep control of Crimea as well as Ukrainian territory in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson regions it has seized since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that recognizing occupied territory as Russia's is a red line for Ukraine. He noted on April 24 that Ukraine had agreed to a US ceasefire proposal 44 days ago as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Moscow's attacks continue.

Asked what Putin is doing now to help forge a peace deal, Trump said he was refraining from "taking the whole country," calling this a "pretty big concession."

Commenting on the diplomatic efforts, Lavrov told CBS News that the United States and Russia are moving in the right direction, but some specific elements of a deal remain to be agreed.

"The president of the United States believes -- and I think rightly so -- that we are moving in the right direction. The statement by [Trump] mentions a deal, and we are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific...elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned, and we are busy with this exact process."

Trump did not spell out the elements of the deal, so Lavrov said it would not be appropriate for him to do so.

"We continue our contacts with the American side on the situation in Ukraine, there are several signs that we are moving in the right direction," Lavrov said.

Speaking at the White House after meeting with Trump, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said it was time for Russia to move forward in negotiations on the war.

"There is something on the table now, I think, where the Ukrainians are really playing ball," Rutte said. "And I think the balls are clearly in the Russian court now."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and CBS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-kyiv-strike-trump- putin-lavrov/33396313.html

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Kyiv To Observe Day Of Mourning After Russian Strike Kills 12