The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday it had targeted military-industrial facilities and military air bases in a big overnight strike on Ukraine which Ukrainian officials said had killed at least 16 people in Kyiv.

The ministry said in a statement it had carried out a "group strike" on Ukraine using hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, drones, and high-precision air-launched missiles. It said it had hit all of its intended targets.

Ukrainian officials said the attack on Kyiv had killed at least 16 people, injuring at least 38, and damaged residential and other buildings across seven districts.

The Kremlin says Russia does not deliberately target civilians and only targets military or military-related facilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said its forces had taken control of the settlement of Nelipivka in eastern Ukraine and had struck a Ukrainian reconnaissance ship.

The Ukrainian air force said on Thursday that it downed 563 of 598 drones and 26 of 31 missiles launched by Russia in its overnight attack.

The air force recorded hits at 13 locations and falling debris at 26 locations.

Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones early on Thursday, killing at least 16 people including four children in the capital in the sweeping attack.

At least 38 people were wounded in the hours-long series of strikes on the city which damaged buildings including the headquarters of the European Union mission to Ukraine and the British Council, officials said.

Across the country, Ukraine's national grid operator Ukrenergo said energy facilities were hit.

"Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table," Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said on X, calling for new sanctions on Russia. "It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war."

Mayor Vitali Klitschko described it as one of the biggest attacks on the city in recent months.

A push by Kyiv and its allies to end the military operation that Moscow launched in February 2022 has yielded little despite high-level meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts.

Condemnation

"Horrified by yet another night of deadly Russian missile attacks on Ukraine," European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on social media.

"My thoughts are with the Ukrainian victims and also with the staff of @EUDelegationUA whose building was damaged in this deliberate Russian strike. The EU will not be intimidated," he added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the assault, writing on X: "My thoughts are with all those affected by the senseless Russian strikes on Kyiv which have damaged the British Council building. Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that the EU is summoning the Russian envoy in Brussels after Russia's overnight drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital damaged the EU delegation's building in Kyiv.

Kallas said on X that she had spoken with colleagues in Kyiv following the Russian strike. "No diplomatic mission should ever be a target," she said.

Kremlin insists peace still possible 

The Kremlin insisted it is still interested in pursuing peace talks on Ukraine despite the wave of attacks. 

Asked if there was a contradiction between Moscow's stated desire to make progress in peace talks and the attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that both sides were continuing to attack each other but that Russia was still interested in achieving its goals via diplomacy.

Russian forces were continuing to target Ukrainian military and military-related infrastructure, he said. 

He said Ukraine was continuing its own strikes against Russian infrastructure too, including against civilian infrastructure.

"The special military operation continues. You can see that strikes on Russian infrastructure, often on Russian civilian infrastructure, by the Kyiv regime are also continuing.

"The Russian armed forces are also carrying out their tasks. As stated, they continue to strike military and military-related infrastructure.

"The strikes are successful, the targets are being destroyed, and the special military operation continues. At the same time, Russia remains interested in continuing the negotiation process in order to achieve our goals through political and diplomatic means."