Foreign diplomats from 60 embassies in Ukraine toured the Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv struck by a Russian air attack.
The building was heavily damaged by one of Russia’s largest aerial attacks since the full-scale invasion began, which struck on the night of September 7, 2025.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry organized the visit, under the leadership of Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
Russian Attack on Ukraine’s Government Building
The strike, which combined over 800 drones and decoys with missiles, targeted multiple cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv. For the first time since the start of the all-out war, the Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv suffered a direct hit.
Casualties included civilians: among them a young child and a mother. Many others were wounded. Structural damage was heavy—burnt offices, debris, and damage to the roof, among other parts of the 10-story, Soviet-era government building.
The Diplomatic Visit and What Was Shown
Sixty foreign diplomats accredited in Ukraine were given a tour through the damaged floors and shown the destruction firsthand. Key Ukrainian officials, including Yuliia Svyrydenko, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, spoke during the visit.
They emphasized the scale of civilian suffering, the loss of infrastructure, and the broader pattern of escalating attacks against non-military and governmental targets.
“We emphasized to our foreign colleagues that with such barbaric attacks, Russia is rejecting peace efforts and diplomacy. Therefore, to achieve peace, it is necessary to increase sanctions on Moscow and strengthen Ukraine,” Sybiha wrote.
Sybiha said that the briefing focused not just on the government building but on the destruction and casualties caused by the large Russian strike across multiple cities: Kyiv, Sumy, Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih.
Reactions and Significance
The Ukrainian leadership presented the strike as a pivotal moment. Svyrydenko described it as a signal that Russia no longer even pretends to negotiate or respect diplomatic norms. The deliberate targeting of government buildings marks a shift in the war’s pattern.
Diplomatic presence during the tour was meant to send a message—a show of solidarity and a call for a stronger international response. Sybiha called for increased sanctions and reinforced support for Ukraine. There were public appeals to Ukraine’s partners to escalate pressure on Moscow, both diplomatically and economically.
The attack is seen not only as striking important infrastructure but also as undermining government morale and public sense of safety, as well as mocking ongoing peace efforts.
