At Least 16 Killed in Missile Attack in Eastern Ukraine, US Secretary of State Blinken Visits Kyiv to Show Support for Ukraine’s Counteroffensive

At least 16 people, including one child, were killed in a missile attack in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a Telegram post Wednesday. Shmyhal called the attack a “terrible terrorist act by Russia.”

The attack came just hours before U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit. Blinken’s trip was intended to assess Ukraine’s 3-month-old counteroffensive and signal continued U.S. support for Kyiv’s efforts to drive out the Kremlin’s forces.

The missile attack was the deadliest in months and the first since Ukraine’s counteroffensive began. It has raised concerns among some Western allies about progress after 18 months of war, according to U.S. officials.

Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his visit. He also met with members of the Ukrainian government and civil society to discuss the ongoing conflict and the need for a peaceful resolution.

In a joint statement, Blinken and Zelensky said they “condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and the illegal occupation of Crimea.” They also called on Russia to immediately cease its aggression and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.