The bodies of a 2-year-old and four other children were pulled from the rubble of Kyiv on Thursday after Russia unleashed its deadliest attack on Ukraine’s capital in the last year, officials said Friday.

The five dead children were among the 31 killed when Russia launched more than 300 drones and eight missiles on the capital city during the early hours of the morning.

Another 150 civilians were wounded, at least 16 of whom are children.

The strike marks the highest number of children injured in a strike on the capital city in the three-year war, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, according to the Kyiv Independent. 

The youngest victim who died was just 2 years old, Ukrainian officials said. A 6-year-old and a 17-year-old were also found in the rubble.

“Entire families murdered in their homes, including children. The world possesses every instrument required to ensure Russia is brought to justice. What is lacking is not power — but will,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X.

The attack was the deadliest on Kyiv since July of last year, when 33 people were killed.

Rescue and recovery operations are still underway, indicating that the death toll could climb.

Heartbreaking images show families collapsing into hysterics as rescuers pull the bodies of their loved ones out of their destroyed homes.

More than 100 buildings throughout the city, including houses, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, were damaged in the early morning attack.

One nine-story residential building was nearly decimated in the barrage.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the barbaric assault as “showcase killings” intended to show that Russian President Vladimir Putin had no interest in ending the war.

President Trump slammed the strikes as “disgusting” behavior by Moscow, but revealed he was not confident sanctions by the US would stop the Kremlin from continuing its campaign.

Mourning Kyiv resident Oksana Kinal said she thinks “America has a lot of points of leverage” that can be used to bring Putin to his knees.

“But will Putin listen to this? I don’t know,” the 43-year-old said as she was placing flowers to honour a co-worker who had been killed alongside a son.

Trump had previously given Putin until Aug. 8 to make a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, or otherwise be faced with tariffs and other economic pressures.

Russia has escalated its attacks against Ukraine in recent months, despite calls from Trump and other Western leaders to spare civilian areas.

The Kremlin has launched over 5,100 glide bombs, more than 3,800 Shahed drones, and nearly 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine, according to Zelensky.

Putin has also threatened that Russia is producing new hypersonic missiles that would plunge at speeds of up to Mach 10 — and cannot be stopped by air defenses.

On Friday, Ukraine called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting in an effort to push Putin into accepting “a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”

With Post Wires