Russia damages office of Kyiv bureau of Radio Liberty with missiles

During the combined russian attack on Kyiv overnight into August 28, a missile explosion broke out windows in part of the premises of the Kyiv bureau of Radio Liberty, located on Antonovycha Street. The newsroom’s equipment was damaged, according to the publication. There were no injuries.

A video from surveillance cameras that appeared on public networks shows that the explosions near the office of Radio Liberty were the result of direct hits from two missiles. The ammunition hit civilian buildings a short distance from the newsroom of Radio Liberty, the building of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and a number of other civilian buildings.

“Although the office of Radio Liberty was damaged, we were lucky that none of our employees were injured. Rest assured, our journalists will continue their vital work. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed and wounded in these attacks, as well as with the Ukrainian rescuers,” said Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Steven Kapus.

As a result of this massive attack by russian forces on Kyiv on the night of August 28, the buildings of the European Union and the British Council were also damaged.

The office of Ukrainska Pravda, an online media outlet, was also damaged on August 28, the publication reported. There were no casualties.

Russian troops launched a massive attack on Ukraine, including Kyiv, with drones and missiles at night. According to the latest data, more than 20 people were killed in Kyiv, including children. Over 50 people were injured. August 29 was declared a Day of Mourning in Kyiv for the dead.

According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, the consequences of the russian attack are recorded at more than 20 locations in seven districts of Kyiv. There is significant damage to residential buildings in the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi Districts. In particular, in the latter, a direct hit destroyed part of a five-story building.

According to the AFU Air Force, overnight into August 28, russian troops attacked Ukraine with almost 600 attack drones and 31 missiles. The military recorded missile and attack UAV hits at 13 locations, and downed aircraft (fragments) fell at 26 locations.

The russian leadership denies that the russian army, during a full-scale war, is carrying out targeted strikes on the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities and villages, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and energy and water supply facilities.

The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations qualify these strikes as war crimes by the russian federation and emphasize that they are targeted in nature.

U.S. President Donald Trump was “not pleased but not surprised” by the russian strike on Kyiv on the night of August 28, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a White House briefing.

“These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time. Russia launched this attack on Kyiv. And Ukraine recently attacked russian refineries. In fact, during August, they destroyed 20% of the capacity of russian refineries,” the White House spokeswoman said.

According to her, the U.S. president wants to end the war between russia and Ukraine in order to “stop the killing of people.”

A few hours earlier, U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg responded to the russian strikes on Kyiv, emphasizing that the target was “not soldiers and weapons, but residential areas of Kyiv.” “These egregious attacks threaten the peace that the U.S. president seeks,” Kellogg wrote.

In russia, two oil refineries and an arms depot were hit in the past 24 hours, with no civilian casualties reported.

Committee to Protect Journalists Condemns Attack on Radio Liberty, two other media in Ukraine. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned russian airstrikes on August 28 that targeted the offices of three media outlets, including Radio Liberty.

“Today’s devastating russian attack on Ukraine, which damaged at least three media outlets, is a stark reminder of the risks journalists face working and living in the country. These strikes underscore that the safety of journalists remains a pressing concern, regardless of their proximity to the front lines. “We strongly condemn these attacks and call on russia to immediately cease its attacks on civilian infrastructure,” said CPJ‘s Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said.

In Kyiv, a combined drone and missile strike damaged the offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and the independent news outlet Ukrainska Pravda. In the Dnipropetrovsk Region, a drone strike damaged the offices of the local newspaper, Mezhyvskyi Meridian. No media workers or journalists were injured in these attacks.

As the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) has repeatedly noted, russia has frequently attacked media offices across the country during the more than three and a half years of war. Journalists have been injured while working, and their homes have been shelled. At least 18 journalists and media workers have been killed while reporting in Ukraine since russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The russian ministry of defense has not responded to CPJ‘s request for comment, which was sent via email.

NUJU Information Service