KYIV: Russian drones and missiles struck several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Dnipro, early on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring around 100 others, according to officials. The attacks came after days of warnings that Moscow was preparing a major assault.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other key facilities during a war that has now lasted more than four years. Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil facilities this year. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Last week, the Kremlin announced it would carry out “systematic strikes” against targets in Kyiv in response to a drone attack on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine, which reportedly killed 21 people. Ukraine denied responsibility for the attack.
Images from Kyiv showed huge explosions and thick plumes of smoke rising above residential high-rises. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, overnight strikes in the capital killed four people and wounded 58 others, including children.
Residents described scenes of chaos and destruction. Olha Mudra, standing near the site of one strike with her six-year-old daughter Natalia, said they initially could not comprehend what was happening. She likened the situation to an apocalypse, recalling how debris and smoke covered the area and reduced visibility to almost nothing.
Klitschko said a suspected missile strike hit a 24-storey apartment building, causing part of it to collapse and potentially trapping people beneath the rubble. Another nine-storey residential building caught fire after being struck by what was believed to be falling missile debris.
The mayor also reported fires in Kyiv’s Obolon district, where vehicles were set ablaze by falling missile fragments. Additional fires broke out in open areas, including a site near a kindergarten.
As air raid sirens echoed across the city, thousands of residents sought refuge in Kyiv’s subway system. Witnesses said many arrived carrying personal belongings and mattresses while Ukrainian air defence systems worked to repel the attacks. Further explosions were heard in the capital after sunrise, according to a Reuters witness.
In the southeastern city of Dnipro and surrounding areas, six people were killed and 36 others injured in missile and drone strikes, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said. All of the wounded were hospitalised and were reported to be in moderate condition.
Hanzha shared photographs showing widespread destruction, including damaged residential buildings, burned-out vehicles and a children’s playground affected by the attacks.
Air raid alerts were issued across large parts of Ukraine following warnings from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Russia could launch a major offensive. In a nightly video address, Zelenskiy said intelligence assessments continued to indicate the possibility of a large-scale strike and stressed that Ukrainian defenders remained on full alert with the resources available to them.
In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 10 people, including a child, were injured in separate drone and missile attacks.
Russian territory also came under attack overnight. Authorities in the southern Krasnodar region said a drone strike caused a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, officials reported that an 11-year-old boy was injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a residential home.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said air defence systems shot down 148 Ukrainian drones during the night. Authorities in Sevastopol, a major naval base in Russian-occupied Crimea, also reported that air defence units were responding to drone attacks.
The war in Ukraine has continued since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have yielded little progress, while the administration of US President Donald Trump has largely focused its attention on conflicts in the Middle East.