At least seven people have been killed in Ukrainian cities after Russia launched a wave of ballistic missiles and drones across the country overnight, hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an impending ‘massive attack’ by Moscow. Explosions echoed across Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday as air raid sirens sounded in the capital.
Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed in the capital, where falling debris sparked fires at several non-residential sites in the Sviatoshynskyi and Obolon districts. The western city of Lviv, close to the Polish border, also came under attack. Two apartment buildings were damaged and at least six people were injured, according to local authorities.
As the attacks unfolded, Poland protectively scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace. Zelensky earlier pleaded for help from the US and allies, saying Ukraine urgently needed more air defences as there was a ‘high probability’ that Vladimir Putin would execute the planned strike.
Two girls, aged 5 and 12, were among the seven people killed in the Russian attacks across Ukraine. The girls were killed when a Russian ballistic missile struck a private home in a village near the central city of Kryvyi Rih, a local official said. Eight other people were injured in the attack, including two children, with authorities warning the casualty toll could rise.
In the capital, Kyiv, one person was killed and fires broke out at three non-residential buildings after debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell across the city, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
The Russian attacks came as Ukraine’s ex-defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said his efforts to overhaul the military’s procurement system were the main reason behind his dismissal this month in a military and political shake-up. Fedorov, a technical expert seen by many as an agent for change in the over four-year-old war against Russia, told the media outlet Ukrainska Pravda that the proposed changes met resistance from officials inside and around the ministry.
Residents in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, took shelter in metro stations as Russia launched missile and drone attacks. Families stayed overnight in the crowded underground stations amid warnings of a large-scale Russian attack. Meanwhile, an F-16 fighter jet crashed on a frontline mission, the Ukrainian air force said on Wednesday. Its pilot was safe after he ejected and was transported to a medical institution for treatment.
.png?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
