As death toll rises in Kyiv, Europe believes Russia will not stop at Ukraine

Published connected 18/06/2025 - 19:18 GMT+2•Updated 19/06/2025 - 9:47 GMT+2

Emergency workers recovered much bodies connected Wednesday from nan rubble of a nine-story Kyiv flat building destroyed by a Russian missile, bringing nan decease toll from nan latest onslaught connected nan Ukrainian superior to 28.

The building successful Kyiv’s Solomianskyi territory took a nonstop deed and collapsed successful what was nan deadliest Russian onslaught connected nan metropolis this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside.

While sniffer dogs searched for buried victims, rescuers utilized cranes, excavators and moreover their hands to clear debris from nan site.

The onslaught overnight connected Monday into Tuesday was portion of a sweeping barrage arsenic Russia erstwhile again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian aerial defences. More than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched - 1 of nan biggest bombardments connected nan superior since nan warfare began successful 2022.

Russia has launched a summertime violative on parts of nan astir 1,000-kilometre frontline and has intensified long-range attacks that person struck municipality residential areas.

At nan aforesaid time, US-led bid efforts person grounded to summation traction, while Middle East tensions and US waste and acquisition tariffs are diverting world attraction distant from Ukraine’s calls for greater negotiated and economical unit connected Russia.

Brussels warns of semipermanent Russian aggression successful Europe

Meanwhile, nan European Union says that Russia poses a nonstop threat to nan bloc done acts of sabotage and cyberattacks, while its monolithic subject spending suggests Moscow besides plans to usage nan equipped forces elsewhere successful nan future.

“Russia is already a nonstop threat to nan European Union....This is simply a semipermanent scheme for semipermanent aggression. You don’t walk that overmuch connected subject if you do not scheme to usage it,” Kallas told EU lawmakers successful Strasbourg, arsenic she listed a bid of Russian airspace violations, provocative subject exercises, and attacks connected power grids, pipelines and undersea cables.

Kallas noted that Russia is already spending much connected defence than nan EU's 27 nations combined, and this twelvemonth will put much “on defence than its ain wellness care, acquisition and societal argumentation combined.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that Russia is producing arsenic galore weapons and ammunition successful 3 months arsenic nan 32 friends together make successful a year. He believes that Russia could beryllium successful a position to motorboat an onslaught connected a NATO state by nan extremity of nan decade.

Concern is mounting successful Europe that Russia could effort to trial NATO’s Article 5 information guarantee, nan promise that an onslaught connected immoderate 1 of nan friends would beryllium met pinch a corporate consequence from each 32.

In 2021, NATO friends acknowledged that important and cumulative cyberattacks might, successful definite circumstances, besides beryllium considered an equipped onslaught that could lead them to invoke Article 5, but truthful acold nary action has been taken.