Russia Rubbles Residential Kyiv

FILE: A woman walks past a building destroyed in Russian shelling in Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, 6.21.2022

Russian strikes hit a residential building in Kyiv on Sunday, June 26, in the first attack on the capital in almost three weeks, Ukraine said, as President Vlodomyr called for increased support from G7 leaders now meeting in Germany.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko announced one person died and four people, including a seven-year-old girl, were taken to hospital following the early morning missile strikes.

Russia denied it had hit a civilian target, however, saying its forces had struck the Artyom weapons factory in the neighborhood.

Earlier, it announced strikes against three military centers in northern and western Ukraine, including one near the border with Poland.

Sunday's attack was the first strike on the capital since early June.

Klitschko said the Russian missile strike was intended to "intimidate Ukrainians" ahead of the NATO summit.

It was the third time since the invasion that this northwest neighborhood had been hit.

Edward Shkuta, who lives next door, said there had been four missiles since 6:30 am.

A building "was directly hit on the top floors and I saw wounded people coming out" AFP quotes him as saying.

The high-profile attacks come as a week of Western diplomacy began Sunday with the G7 summit in Germany, which will be followed by a meeting of NATO leaders in Spain.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for more effort and resolve by the world's greatest economic powers.

"G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia's sick imperialism must be defeated", he said.