STORY: Russian drones struck central Kyiv early on Friday (September 25), killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring at least 20 people, Ukrainian officials said, in an attack President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned as "absolutely savage and sickening."

Reuters footage showed smoke billowing from a heavily damaged apartment block, ambulances carrying away the wounded and rescuers searching through debris as emergency crews worked at multiple strike sites across the capital.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in the war, which began with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Residents described growing exhaustion and fear after months of regular air attacks.

"Every day, it's as if you're living under a gun. Every morning, my alarm clock is a Shahed drone," said Anna, 29, the granddaughter of a local resident whose apartment block was damaged in the strike.

The attack came as the United Nations said on Friday that its monitoring mission in Ukraine had recorded at least 200 civilian deaths in September from attacks that also damaged homes, hospitals, shops and workplaces.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Russian drones hits central Kyiv killing a child, injuring at least 20 people, Ukrainian officials say

VIDEO SHOWS: DAMAGED APARTMENT BLOCK / RESIDENTS COMMENTING / SMOKE RISING OVER KYIV SKYLINE / DAMAGED BUILDING / RESCUERS WORKING ON SITES

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: KYIV, UKRAINE (SEPTEMBER 25, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF SMOKE BILLOWING FROM DAMAGED APARTMENT BLOCK

2. VARIOUS OF INJURED WOMAN INSIDE AMBULANCE

3. AMBULANCE LEAVING

4. EMERGENCY SERVICES ON SITE

5. PROJECTILE DEBRIS

6. INJURED WOMAN

7. EMERGENCY SERVICES ON SITE

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 29-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER OF LOCAL RESIDENT, ANNA (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“It’s actually really scary. Every day, it’s as if you’re living under a gun. Every morning, my alarm clock is a Shahed drone. It’s actually really scary. It’s very stressful.”

9. VARIOUS OF SEVERLEY DAMAGED APARTMENT

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 29-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER OF LOCAL RESIDENT, ANNA (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“I don’t really believe in an energy ceasefire. Because it feels as though things are only getting worse. Every day, it’s just getting worse.”

11. WOMAN RETURNING HELMET TO RESCUER AFTER LEAVING BUILDING

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) 60-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, MOHAMMED ARUGY, SAYING:

“My children have been injured; they’re in hospital now. I’ve been injured too - look at my legs. And the flat is a mess - it’s impossible to live there.”

13. ARUGY’S BANDAGED LEG

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) 60-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, MOHAMMED ARUGY, SAYING:

“Trump, Putin, Lavrov - they all speak with honeyed words. But in reality, this is the result. They don’t want to take even a single positive step to call a ceasefire for a month or two so that negotiations can take place. They don’t want to! They just want things to go their way. They say they’re only bombing military bases. Well, take a look.”

15. DAMAGED APARTMENT BLOCK

16. VIKTORIIA (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), 40, LOCAL RESIDENT AND HER DOG

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 40-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, VIKTORIIA (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“It hit the flat next door, just on the other side of the wall. We heard a very loud explosion and jumped. But actually, I thought it was just another one of those explosions you hear all the time in Kyiv; I didn’t realise it was a strike. I looked out of the window and saw smoke billowing from the neighbouring flat, and that’s when we realised it was very close to us.”

18. RESCUER SITTING

19. SMOKE BILLOWING FROM DESTROYED APARTMENT

20. MAN WITH CHILD LOOKING ON

21. SMOKE RISING OVER KYIV SKYLINE AFTER DRONE ATTACK

22. VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKING ON ANOTHER SITE HIT BY DRONE

23. MAN LOOKING OUT OF BROKEN WINDOW

24. FIRE ON ROOF

25. VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKING ON SITE

26. SEVERELY DAMAGED BUILDING

27. VARIOUS OF PROJECTILE REMAINS

28. EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKING ON SITE