At least 24 Ukrainians were killed as Russian missiles rained down on a Kyiv apartment building in the largest barrage of the entire war – with three children left dead, and dozens of people wounded, according to officials.

Rockets and drones started falling on the capital city Wednesday, with at least one hitting the nine-story apartment block Thursday and leaving a huge section collapsed in a pile of smoldering concrete.

First responders spent over a day digging through the rubble to locate the two-dozen fatalities, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming the tragic count by Friday.

It was part of a protracted attack which saw nearly 1,600 Russian drones launched across the country over two days, with 180 locations sustaining damage.

More than 50 of those targets were residential buildings, according to Zelensky.

It kicked off just days after a dubious May 9 to 11 ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump.

But the ceasefire – part of celebrations for the anniversary of World War II ending in Europe – was hardly what both sides agreed to, with fighting continuing throughout despite being somewhat scaled back.

This week’s huge barrage came just months after the war’s previous record was set, when nearly 1,000 Russian drones and missiles were fired at Ukraine between March 23 and 24.

The escalating scale of attacks seems to run counter to recent suggestions from Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that the war was nearing its conclusion.

Russia also appears to be circumventing the widespread international sanctions and producing new weapons with ease – with Zelensky explaining that analysis showed one of the missiles which struck the Kyiv apartment building was built in the last two months.

“This means Russia is still importing the components, resources, and equipment necessary for missile production in circumvention of global sanctions,” Zelensky wrote on X Thursday.

“Stopping Russia’s sanctions evasion schemes must be a genuine priority for all our partners,” he added.