Kyiv, Ukraine — The morning of April 25, 2025, brought devastation to Kyiv, as a Russian missile strike tore through the city, killing 12 and injuring 87 others. The strike, one of the most destructive in recent months, obliterated entire buildings in a quiet, leafy neighborhood in the northwestern part of the city, leaving residents in shock and disbelief.
Among the survivors was Serhiy Parkhomenko, whose two-storey apartment building narrowly escaped total destruction. His neighbor’s building, however, was completely leveled. The explosion, so intense that it shattered windows and damaged nearby buildings, sent a steel door from Parkhomenko’s home crashing through his living room.
Parkhomenko, 60, a telecommunications expert, counted himself lucky, as he and his wife were asleep at the time of the strike. While the shockwave rattled their home, they managed to flee with only their documents. Serhiy also helped drag his 68-year-old neighbor out of the debris, despite the chaos that engulfed their surroundings. “I was lucky, but I can’t understand how the White House can remain silent after so much destruction,” he said, expressing his frustration with the United States’ response to Russia’s ongoing aggression.
The strike occurred at around 1 a.m. local time, and despite the massive damage, Parkhomenko and others in the area are furious at the lack of action from international leaders, especially US President Donald Trump. Although Trump made a brief public condemnation of Russia’s actions, his administration’s response has largely been seen as inadequate, and many Ukrainian residents feel abandoned.
The anger was palpable in the area, where volunteers from around the world were helping clear debris and salvage what they could. One such volunteer, Tom Satterthwaite from Oregon, remarked, “Ukraine was promised security under the Budapest Memorandum, but it feels like that guarantee has been hollowed out. We were sold a lie.” Satterthwaite, who had come to Kyiv to teach English and assist with rebuilding efforts, expressed his deep disappointment with the US’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the 1994 agreement, which had been intended to prevent such attacks in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear arsenal.
Nearby, rescue workers scoured the rubble, desperately searching for survivors. One of them was Yelena, a woman in her 40s, who narrowly escaped death when the missile hit. The explosion sent debris flying, and though Yelena’s apartment was destroyed, she was spared when she moved to grab her glasses moments before a gas stove fell where she had been standing. “It’s a miracle I’m alive,” she said, her clothes covered in dust and debris.
Her husband, Viktor, rescued a toddler from the wreckage, only to later learn that the child’s parents had perished in the blast. The scene was heartbreaking: injured survivors, panic-stricken residents, and volunteers working tirelessly to assist in the wake of the destruction.
By the time the dust had settled, the neighborhood had been torn apart. The shockwave from the missile had caused damage to nearby cars, ripped off roofs, and shattered windows. Local officials were still working to assess the full extent of the damage and search for any remaining survivors. For many residents, the events of that night were a grim reminder of the ongoing war that has devastated their country for years.
Ukrainians living through this hellish ordeal continue to demand that their international allies uphold their commitments and provide stronger support. “They say they are targeting military sites, but we are the ones paying the price,” Viktor said, standing alongside his elderly mother, his face marked with cuts from the shattered glass.
As rescue operations continue and the city tries to recover, the words of a local volunteer summed up the collective sentiment of many: “We are not afraid, but we need more than empty promises. We need action.”
For many in Kyiv, the war is far from over, and each missile strike feels like a betrayal by the very nations that promised to help them.
