A neighbourhood around Lukianivska square in Kyiv has become a visible example of the damage caused by the continuing air war between Russia and Ukraine, with residents and local businesses attempting to continue daily routines among damaged buildings and reminders of repeated attacks.

The area, once known for busy streets, restaurants and commercial activity, has seen many buildings damaged by strikes. A nearby station and restaurant remain among the active parts of the neighbourhood, while a small market selling flowers and vegetables continues operating beneath damaged structures.

For some residents, the repeated attacks have added to fears already carried from other parts of Ukraine. Anastasiia Prymak, a 23-year-old product manager, moved to Kyiv from Nikopol two years ago after experiencing frequent bombardment there. She said recent attacks on Kyiv had brought back the same sense of insecurity.

Prymak described a drone strike on a nearby apartment building on 28 April. She said she initially thought she heard aircraft but realised that was unlikely because of the war. Looking outside, she saw an explosion on the roof of a building.She said the attacks had affected her mental health and that she had been diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder.

She described experiencing persistent anxiety and panic attacks.Prymak showed images from her apartment window showing a damaged building with flames coming from windows after a strike. She said that during one major attack her boyfriend took her to a shelter, where she prayed despite not being religious.

Following further strikes, she said she had considered leaving Kyiv for Lviv in western Ukraine. She described the damage around her neighbourhood as increasingly similar to scenes from destroyed areas of Ukraine and said she feared being seriously injured in an attack.The destruction in the area comes amid a broader escalation in long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is increasing attacks on urban areas, while Russian officials have indicated plans for more extensive strikes.The intensifying missile threat has raised concerns about Ukraine’s air defence capabilities.

Ukrainian officials have sought additional missile interceptors, including systems such as Patriot air defence units, as the country continues attempts to protect major cities from aerial attacks.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for increased support from European partners, including stronger air defence systems and long-range capabilities.

During meetings with leaders in London, he highlighted what he described as an urgent need to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to respond to missile and drone attacks.Despite the risks, some local businesses have returned.

Faina Polishchuk, who operates a flower stall near Lukianivska square, said many traders had come back, although customer numbers had declined.She said the latest major strike left many stallholders frightened and unwilling to return immediately. However, she added that selling flowers was her source of income and that she needed to continue working.Polishchuk said she watched the strike from her apartment window and felt the building shake.

She later went to a shelter, where another resident showed her images of the damage on a phone and told her that buildings were burning.She said she intended to remain in Kyiv despite the danger, though she acknowledged that worsening conditions could force her to leave for Vinnytsia, her original home city.

The neighbourhood’s damaged buildings and disrupted businesses reflect the wider challenge facing civilians in Kyiv as the war enters another phase of intensified aerial attacks. Residents continue adapting to air raid alarms, shelter routines and the uncertainty of whether another strike may follow.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov said Russian forces struck the city of Chuguiv overnight, killing four people, including a 22-year-old woman, and causing extensive damage to residential areas.“The enemy has hit the city of Chuguiv,” Synegubov wrote on Telegram, adding that the attack sparked fires, damaged at least 18 vehicles and shattered windows in multi-story apartment buildings.

Separately, Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said 10 people were wounded in strikes on the regional capital, one of Ukraine’s most heavily targeted cities because of its proximity to the Russian border.The latest attacks come amid a sustained escalation in aerial warfare between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian missile and drone strikes have intensified in recent months, while Kyiv has expanded its own long-range drone operations against targets deep inside Russian territory, saying those attacks are primarily aimed at military and energy infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort.

Kharkiv region has remained a focal point of the conflict, with repeated attacks on civilian and industrial facilities despite international calls for greater protection of non-combatants.According to United Nations estimates published in April, at least 15,850 civilians have been killed in areas under Ukrainian control since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022. The UN said more than 2,800 civilians have also been killed in Russian-controlled territories.

The organization reported that more than 44,800 people have been wounded across Ukrainian-controlled and Russian-occupied areas since the start of the war.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has shown signs of easing military operations, with both sides continuing regular drone and missile attacks as fighting persists along multiple sectors of the front line.

The inauguration was held on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of what North Korea described as the end of an operation to “liberate” Russia’s Kursk border region, where North Korean troops were deployed to help repel a Ukrainian incursion, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim attended the ceremony alongside visiting Russian Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s State Duma, underscoring the growing importance of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

KCNA reported that Kim placed flowers before the remains of dead soldiers and participated in a burial ritual by throwing dirt over one coffin, describing the fallen troops as symbols of “the Korean people’s heroism.”In a speech carried by KCNA, Kim said the soldiers’ spirits would support “a victorious march by the Korean and Russian people” and praised joint operations for frustrating what he called a U.S.-led Western “hegemonic plot and military adventurism” on the Russia-Ukraine front.

North Korea and Russia publicly acknowledged in April 2025 that their forces had fought together in Kursk, a rare admission of direct North Korean military involvement in a foreign conflict.Neither government has disclosed the exact number of North Korean troops deployed.

South Korea’s intelligence service estimated last year that around 15,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia and roughly 2,000 were killed.In a separate meeting with Beloussov, Kim said North Korea would continue to fully support Russia’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and security interests, KCNA said.

Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that Beloussov told Kim Moscow was prepared to sign a bilateral military cooperation plan covering the 2027–2031 period, signaling that security ties could deepen further beyond battlefield coordination.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a letter read aloud by Volodin during the ceremony, said the museum would serve as “a clear symbol of the friendship and solidarity” between the two countries and expressed confidence that their comprehensive strategic partnership would continue to strengthen, KCNA reported.

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Kim has increasingly prioritized relations with Moscow, supplying troops as well as conventional weapons, according to South Korean, U.S. and allied officials.

In return, analysts and Western governments believe Pyongyang has received economic assistance and could seek advanced Russian military technology, including systems that may strengthen its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.Military analysts say North Korean troops initially suffered heavy losses because of limited combat experience and unfamiliarity with modern drone warfare and battlefield conditions in the Kursk region.

However, Ukrainian military and intelligence officials have said the North Korean contingent gradually adapted and became an important element of Russia’s strategy of sustaining manpower pressure by deploying large numbers of troops in prolonged fighting.

The opening of the museum adds a symbolic domestic dimension to Pyongyang’s wartime support for Moscow, presenting the casualties as national sacrifice while reinforcing the political legitimacy of its expanding alignment with Russia.

The visit comes as Moscow and Pyongyang continue to strengthen military and diplomatic cooperation following their 2024 strategic defence pact.Earlier, North Korean state media KCNA reported that Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin had also arrived in Pyongyang to attend the opening ceremony of a newly built memorial honoring North Korean troops killed while fighting in the Ukraine war.

Belousov is expected to hold meetings with North Korea’s top leadership and participate in “ceremonial and commemorative events,” according to the Russian defence ministry.Separately, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marking the opening of the memorial.

Putin thanked Kim and North Korean soldiers for assisting Russia in repelling what Moscow described as a major Ukrainian incursion into the western Kursk region and said he was confident the two countries would continue strengthening their strategic partnership.

Russia and North Korea significantly expanded their relations after Kim and Putin met in June 2024 and signed a comprehensive strategic treaty that included a mutual defence clause.Since 2023, both countries have accelerated military exchanges and diplomatic coordination, drawing close international scrutiny over North Korea’s alleged military support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

The memorial inauguration and Belousov’s visit underscore the growing public acknowledgment of North Korea’s role in the conflict and signal further institutional deepening of Moscow-Pyongyang security ties.

Fedorishchev, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said four people, including one child, had been rescued from the debris. He did not provide details on casualties or the extent of damage.

The incident occurred in Syzran, a city on the Volga River, amid ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine that have increasingly involved cross-border drone strikes.

Authorities have not released further information on the scale of the attack or whether additional people remain trapped. Rescue teams were continuing efforts at the site, according to the governor’s statement.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Zelensky said US negotiators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were heavily engaged in Middle East diplomacy, leaving limited bandwidth for advancing peace efforts in Ukraine.

He described both figures as “pragmatic” but indicated their current focus had shifted toward managing tensions involving Iran.Zelensky said that a lack of sustained US pressure on Moscow risks emboldening the Kremlin.

“If the United States does not put pressure on Putin and only engages in a gentle dialogue with the Russians, then they will no longer be afraid,” he said.Negotiations aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine have stalled in recent weeks, with no direct talks reported since February meetings in Geneva.

The diplomatic slowdown coincides with the escalation of conflict in the Middle East in late March, which has drawn significant US strategic and military attention.Zelensky also highlighted disruptions in US arms deliveries to Ukraine, calling the situation “a big problem,” particularly in the supply of air defense systems.

He pointed to shortages in PAC-3 and PAC-2 interceptor missiles, which are critical for countering aerial threats.According to Zelensky, these systems are largely procured through the PURL program, a mechanism established last year that allows European countries to finance US military equipment for Ukraine.

He said deliveries under the program had slowed, creating operational challenges for Ukrainian forces.“At the very beginning of the war in the Middle East we understood that we can have challenges,” Zelensky said, adding that the delays have placed Ukraine in a “very difficult position.”

Later in Norway, Zelensky met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, where the two countries signed a joint declaration aimed at enhancing defense and security cooperation. The agreement includes plans to expand collaboration between defense industries and initiate production of Ukrainian drones in Norway.

Earlier in the day, Zelensky led a delegation to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and senior officials.

The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral defense ties and advancing a broader strategic partnership amid the protracted conflict with Russia, now in its fifth year.