The Kyiv regional headquarters of a UK government body that promotes British culture abroad has been “severely damaged” by two missiles that struck the same location seconds apart in an apparent precision attack.
The British Council, a 90-year-old UK government-owned organisation that falls under the aegis of the Foreign Office but which claims to be politically neutral and interested only in promoting soft-power British culture, encouraging social change abroad, cultural ties, and the English language saw its Ukraine office destroyed on Thursday.
As stated, the strikes overnight were one of the largest Russian air-raids on Ukraine of the war to date and unusually also targeted central Kyiv. At least 15 people were killed, including several children, and 50 or more injured. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are without power after a wave of nearly 600 drones and 31 missiles were launched.
Ukraine’s air force claimed to have “intercepted or jammed” 563 drones and 26 cruise and ballistic missiles of the Kinzhal, Iskander, and Kodiak types. Of the five missiles that got through Ukraine’s air screen to their presumed intended targets were two that hit precisely the same location in Kyiv, plunging through the roof of the British Council on Zhylyanska Street.
There were no fatalities in that location, but the night watchman of the British Council was injured. The British Council’s next-door-neighbour, the local liaison office for the European Union to Ukraine, was also damaged by the shockwave from the two British Council-bound missiles, which landed 20 seconds apart.
The British Council said in a statement: “Following last night’s attack on Kyiv, our British Council office has been severely damaged and will be closed to visitors until further notice. While there may be some delays in our responses, our work with our Ukrainian partners in education and culture continues”.
While the British Council insists it is studiously neutral, it has been targeted by the Russian Federation for years over allegations and occasional rumours it is a front for British spying. Earlier this year Russia blacklisted the body, claiming the British government was using it to undermine the country.
Reuters reported at the time of the claims of the FSB, the inheritor of the Communist-era KGB: “The FSB said the British Council was used by British intelligence for attempts to erase Russian identity and develop a global network of agents of influence.”
The Council denied these claims and stated it works “to support peace and prosperity between the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and English language teaching”.
Responding to Thursday’s missile strikes on Kyiv, several European leaders condemned Russia for its actions. Among them were the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said by way of a social media-distributed statement: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the senseless Russian strikes on Kyiv which have damaged the British Council building.
“Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deliberate targeting of civilian organisations in central Kyiv, and the death of children in the air raid, underlined his point that Russia is not truly invested in the peace process.
He said: “These Russian missiles and attack drones today are a clear response to everyone in the world who, for weeks and months, has been calling for a ceasefire and for real diplomacy. Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”
Zelensky concluded: “… it is definitely time for new, tough sanctions against Russia for everything it is doing. All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined. Russia must feel accountable for every strike, for every day of this war.”
Russia also responded, with President Vladimir Putin’s personal spokesman Dmitry Peskov claiming Russia is targeting military sites and even that Russia still wants peace. He said, per a translation by The Daily Telegraph: “The Russian armed forces are fulfilling their tasks… They continue to strike military and military-adjacent infrastructure facilities.”
Whether this is a denial of the British Council strike or an implication it is “military-adjacent” is not clear. Russian state media on Thursday also attempted to obfuscate the issue, suggesting the two strikes on the British Council could have been down to Ukrainian air defences.
Peskov continued: “At the same time, Russia remains interested in continuing the negotiation process. The aim is to achieve our goals through political and diplomatic means”.
Also damaged by the British Council strike was its next-door-neighbour, the European Union mission to Ukraine in Kyiv. Damage was less severe, but images from the scene show a suspended ceiling having collapsed from the shockwave. There is no Russian Ambassador to the European Union, but Brussels said they were summoning the Russian Envoy instead to demand answers.
The EU ambassador to Ukraine said of the attack: “A precision strike destroyed a building adjacent to the European Union Delegation. Its blast wave severely damaged our building and also a residential tower where many colleagues live.
“Thankfully, they are all safe. But shaken and horrified. What they endured during 12 hours of nonstop alarms is unimaginable… The war touched them directly last night. The war touched the European Union. And no one will convince me that this was not Putin’s intention”.
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