Russian President Vladimir Putin was just hours away from killing UK workers with his double-tap rocket strike on a British Council building and the European headquarters in Kyiv.
The two buildings were struck overnight as Russia unleashed a barrage of drones and hypersonic missiles on the Ukrainian capital leaving at least 18 dead.
Dramatic footage shows a missile slamming into the structure in a fireball explosion at around 5.40am before a second followed 20 seconds later leaving it 'severely damaged'.
The British Council building, which offers educational courses and English language programmes, is run independently but receives sponsorship from the Foreign Office.
British nationals are recruited from the UK to teach at the centre, and many would likely have been inside had the strike occurred just a few hours later, after it opened at 9am.
