Kyiv

Kyiv,Ukraine – ⁣A Ukrainian goverment building in Kyiv sustained damage Sunday from a​ Russian Iskander ballistic missile strike,marking the first time such ⁤a target has been⁤ directly hit in ⁣over three years of war,according to ⁢Ukrainian officials.

Andriy Yermak, head of the ⁤Ukrainian‍ presidential governance, stated he⁢ discussed the ⁢attack with U.S. Senator Marco⁣ Rubio. “for the first time, the enemy attacked the building of the Ukrainian government – a strike with an iskander ⁤ballistic ⁤missile,” ⁤Yermak wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The⁣ attack occurred⁢ during Russia’s largest wave of drone and missile launches‌ against Ukraine as ​the conflict began in ​February 2022. The Iskander missile system has⁣ been deployed by ‍Russia against various Ukrainian targets throughout the ⁢war.

European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, observed a “gaping⁢ hole” and missile debris at the site.”It’s only because the missile was unable to fully detonate that the entire building wasn’t turned‍ into ruins,” she said.

Approximately 800 to 900 square meters (8,611 to 9,688 ⁢square feet) of‍ the building were damaged, reported Andriy Danyk, head of the Ukrainian State ⁢Emergency Service. Danyk also noted ‍the fire that resulted ‍from the strike‌ spread⁢ “very quickly.”

Following the attack, which caused both ‍deaths and injuries, ⁣Kyiv has appealed⁢ to ⁣international allies for increased economic sanctions‌ against ⁤Moscow. Yermak indicated his conversation with Rubio also covered potential security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.