Eight people are still unaccounted for after a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed at least 23 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.

The attack tore through apartment blocks in the early hours of Thursday in one of the most deadly strikes on the Ukrainian capital since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.

“The fate of eight people remains unknown,” Zelensky said on social media more than 24 hours after the strike.

Western leaders have condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin over the attack, saying it shows he is not serious about reaching a peace deal to end more than three and a half years of war.

“Russia only understands force and force is needed now,” Zelensky said.

At least four children were among those killed when the attack blasted a crater in an five-storey apartment block, ripping the building in two.

Kyiv declared a day of mourning on Friday in honour of the victims.

AFP