Kyiv mourns attack victims, peace talks a distant prospect | Rostyslav Khotin

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]Hello, you're watching World Talks on TVP World. My name is Sasha Farb.

[00:00:05]Ukraine has reported one of the most intense Russian aerial assaults of the war with combined strikes involving more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles over a two-day period, hitting Kiev and multiple regions and leaving civilians killed, injured, and trapped under rubble. The attacks have triggered a day of mourning in Kiev and renewed calls for stronger air defense support from Europe and its allies. To discuss the latest, we're now joined by Rosav Coutin, senior editor, RF RL's Ukrainian Service. Good to have you with us.

[00:00:40]>> Hello.

[00:00:41]>> Uh, so it's an immense scale. I mean, right now also the casualty figures are changing. Uh, as of our most recent update, I would believe 24 people have been killed. Uh, many, many more injured. That may change as we get more information. So just tell us first off a little bit more about the kind of impact the strike has. Where has it really done the most damage? How's Ukraine dealing with it this morning?

[00:01:08]>> Yeah, the rescue operation is over now in the Darisa region district of K Ukrainian capital. Uh the death toll stands at 24 people including three children. It's teenage girls. Three teenage girls were killed and 21 adults.

[00:01:27]Uh the whole uh up to 20 units to the flats were destroyed in one of the uh units of the big apartment ntory apartment block. Uh so the rescue operation continued almost for for 22 hours 24 hours even slightly more. The uh Russia hit this building with uh subsonic missile cruise missile X 1001. It was combined attack against Ukraine. Massive attack against Ukraine. Um 1500 more than 1500 drones were used by Russia and more than 50 missiles. Uh various regions were hit by Russian strikes. But the the most the the most painful was of course K. Uh so uh the uh day of morning has been announced in K today and people uh the the flags are flying half masked.

[00:02:30]It's a kind of solemn sad day for kites of the whole Ukraine. other regions of Ukraine also having uh hit in the south in Hston region in other parts of Ukraine. Uh so it seems that Russia uh saved saved missiles missiles and drones for the strikes which lasted from May 13th to May for for for almost for two day more than two days and two nights. uh they they use this fire to accumulate drones and missiles and then use it massively.

[00:03:09]The percentage of interceptions by Ukrainian air defense was was quite high. But because of such enerma such a big number of drones and missiles used very actively uh and constantly it wasn't possible for Ukraine to for Ukrainian air defenses to show the 100% interception result of course so they they they missed some kind of uh uh strikes and key was the prime target this time.

[00:03:41]>> Mhm. Uh and you also mentioned this um temporary ceasefire. We've been covering this as well. Uh Putin had called Trump to try and arrange this for that victory day uh from World War II in Moscow. Um that ended up happening to some extent on May 9th as you said. So did Putin just really use this time to prepare for another one of these massive strikes?

[00:04:03]And if so, what kind of message does this send? How will this also be interpreted not just in Europe but also in Washington?

[00:04:11]You know, President Zalinski called this Russian massive attack with drones and missiles and a terrorist tactic used by Russia. quote and uh those people who said that Putin cared only about uh victory day parade on the red square in Moscow on the May 9th of May and he didn't care about ceasefire or peace were right in a way because indeed Putin cared about ceasefire only for victory parade in central Moscow he didn't care about ceasefire about peace and Zalinski also said that if If we see that Putin is doing so massively drones and missiles in such a powerful strike against Ukrainian peaceful population about Ukra against Ukrainian civilians about against Ukrainian cities shows that Putin indeed didn't care about peace and uh although Putin several days ago said that peace is quite near in Russian Ukrainian war but there there are no uh grounds to suggest this. It's quite what's happening is quite the opposite of what Putin is saying. Uh now Zalinski wants uh now the UN security council will uh hold the session hearing early next week at Ukraine's initiative in New York. Uh the Ukrainian head of Ukrainian mission said that security council will discuss this Russian strike against Ukrainian cities. uh we'll see what we will will it produce. Uh also we know that uh Zen Zalinski said he had a extraordinary emergency meeting with his close advisers and they decided that Ukraine should retaliate kind of in a mirror way kind of if Russia conducts such a strike against Ukraine Ukraine should retaliate Ukraine should respond to this. Yeah, on that note, I want to ask you, let me interrupt you there for a moment because on that exactly what you just said, President Zilinski is saying that now Ukraine must respond, a just response. So in your mind, what would that look like? What would a just response look like by the Ukrainians right now against the Russians?

[00:06:31]>> The difference between Ukrainian approach and Russian approach to this war is quite different. Russia makes a lot of strikes almost on daily basis against Ukrainian cities, against Ukrainian civilian populations, population, against uh critical infrastructure to make uh life unbearable, harsher for Ukrainian civilians. But Ukraine strikes military targets on Russian soil and oil installation because oil that's where Russian petrol dollars are coming from to feed the Russian budget state budget.

[00:07:07]So the there are quite significant difference in approaches in strategies of Ukraine and Russia. So Ukraine will retate and this this night Ukrainian strike Ukrainian drone strike uh uh oil refinery in Yazan in central Russia. So there there will be more more strike like that. Zilinski said that he will that Ukraine should speed up efforts to in the west in among Ukrainian diplomatic missions to pursue western partners of Ukraine to help boost uh Ukrainian air defenses. He even said that Ukrainian ambassadors and Ukrainian embassies their activities will be evaluated by the effectiveness and speed with which uh foreign partners of Ukraine will provide air defense systems to Ukraine. Especially intercept for missiles because missiles are difficult to intercept unlike drones are easier but missiles are very difficult. Also, Ukrainian um head of Ukrainian uh drone uh forces uh said that uh Robert Broady said that Russia is expanding very quickly the number of servicemen in involved in drone strike against Ukraine. At the beginning of this year, 100,000 servicemen in Russian armed forces were uh dealing with drones attacking in Ukraine. by the end of this year he expect it will rise to 170,000 so Russia is expanding Russia is also building capacities for faster drones not just shahad but reactive shahad shahads with which are flying much faster than average drones they will be more difficult to intercept so Russia is indeed expanding it drones operations and drones forces within armed forces of Russian federation so the the times are quite difficult for Ukraine ahead.

[00:09:04]>> Mhm. And and one thing also which is playing all to this, I'm curious on your view on this sort of stuff is the meeting right now between um a backer very much of of Russia and that's China although it's not that as official as uh some people say it is. Um Donald Trump US president meeting Xi Jinping right now. How much do you think Ukraine will be discussed? How much leverage does China ultimately have? uh any impact from those two leaders meeting.

[00:09:33]>> Uh Ukraine will be discussed definitely the Russian Ukrainian war will be discussed definitely but uh unfortunately for Ukraine it won't be number one point on the agenda of uh American and Chinese leaders. uh they will discuss Iran of course they will discuss tariffs they will discuss uh uh rare earth uh minerals they will discuss high-tech companies they will discuss Taiwan of course Ukraine also will discuss but kind of not number one or number two priority it's slightly lower on the list but the expectations in Ukraine the understanding in Ukraine is that China and America indeed are the both key both are key countries who could which can persuade Putin to stop this war to to to to make a peace with with with Ukraine. Especially China could use it leverages of influence over over Moscow and CDP has such a close relations with Putin and he can persuade Putin to stop this war because it it's not in the interest of uh of the United States and China indeed for this war to continue especially when there are no hanging inside and peace track has stopped there are no peace negotiations now between Ukraine, Russia and American side. So the the understanding in key and the foreign minister Andres has said that China and and America are indeed two key countries who could stop this war.

[00:11:08]>> Mhm. Yeah. And I think um just covering this right now one of these largest strikes across Ukraine as you said that makes the prospect of peace negotiations very very very difficult. Look thanks for that Russ Kina senior editor RF RL's Ukrainian service. Always a pleasure having you. Thank you.

[00:11:27]Thank you, Sasha, >> and thank you for watching. That concludes World Talks, but stay right here on TVP World for more news and commentary. Goodbye.