“I was born again — it’s a miracle”: Survivors recount deadly Russian missile attack on Kyiv

Among them is Valeria. She rushed to the scene the moment she learned that a Russian ballistic missile had struck the building where her mother and 11-year-old sister lived.

When asked how she was feeling, Valeria struggled to find words. Her eyes were filled with tears, her voice trembling:

“My mother and little sister are under the rubble…”

The Russian attack, involving both drones and missiles, caused the most severe destruction in this residential quarter. One entrance to the five-story building was completely destroyed. Nearby homes were damaged by shrapnel and the blast wave.

“The force of the impact was just like the one in Solomianskyi district a few days ago,” said Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. “The debris went down to the basement level, which is now partially buried. Rescue workers are proceeding with extreme caution — inch by inch.”

Dozens of emergency workers, heavy machinery, and search dogs operated non-stop on-site. Nearby, Valeriy sat in silence. His apartment had been on the top floor of the collapsed section. That he survived, he says, is a miracle.

“I prayed: ‘God, let me fall asleep and wake up for work tomorrow.’ When I woke up, there was a concrete slab above me. It partially pinned me down. I tried to escape by climbing down a tree but couldn’t. Then I saw the lightning rod and used it to climb down. Everything was on fire. Cars were exploding. I was in my underwear. People gave me clothes. Today, I was born again.”

But his neighbors weren’t so lucky. On the third floor lived Valeriy’s relatives: Svitlana, her husband Andriy, and their daughter Mariyka. Andriy had been at work at the time of the strike. By 2:00 p.m., seven bodies had been recovered. Svitlana and Mariyka were still missing.

A humanitarian relief point was set up in the courtyard. Volunteers handed out hot food, drinks, sandwiches — offering support to those who had lost everything. Residents slowly returned to see what was left of their homes.

Across the street stood another apartment block — not a single unit intact. The blast wave shattered windows, twisted armored doors. Still, a resident said:

“That’s not real destruction. Look over there — that’s where the real tragedy happened.”

Downstairs, we spoke with Vitaliy. He lives in the neighboring building, which also sustained damage.

“I left work as soon as I heard. When I got here, the doors were blown off, the windows shattered, the fridge and microwave were burned. But honestly, thank God, it wasn’t the worst. My neighbors lost their windows, their cars were wrecked… I think I’ll stay with friends for now. This is the fourth time my home’s been damaged during strikes — and I wasn’t home for any of them.”

Friends Artem and Vira stood staring at the wreckage, eyes searching for a familiar window.

“That building — the one hit by the missile — belonged to our friend. We used to spend evenings there, made so many memories. Now it’s gone. Just gone,” said Vira. “That feeling when you say goodbye to life at night and wake up alive in the morning… every Ukrainian knows it. But this time, it happened right here. And it’s hard. So, so hard.”

Between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m., rescuers pulled two more bodies from the rubble. First, they found Svitlana. Less than an hour later — 11-year-old Mariyka. She was the ninth and final victim found.

Twenty-five more residents were injured in the attack. Rescue units from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) worked tirelessly, using robotic equipment. Multiple collapses occurred during the operation — two were controlled demolitions, but one happened due to strong winds.

“At first, the middle section of the building collapsed. Now, it’s the facade that’s crumbling. We can’t predict how much longer the work will take. The most important thing is safety — both for rescuers and, if there are still survivors beneath the debris, for them as well,” said SES spokesperson Svitlana Vodolaha.

Rescue workers continued to dig through ruins. Amid the wreckage were washing machines, clothing, rugs, children’s belongings, school notebooks, and shattered ceilings with dangling chandeliers — remnants of peaceful lives, all destroyed in a single night.