Russian Strikes Kill Nine Across Ukraine

At least nine people were killed and more than 60 injured after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on several major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv, early Tuesday, according to local authorities.

The strikes came amid repeated warnings from Ukrainian officials that Moscow was preparing a major offensive escalation in the more than four-year-old war.

In the southeastern city of Dnipro, a missile and drone attack killed five people and injured 25 others, regional authorities said. Images released from the area showed damaged residential buildings, burnt vehicles and destruction near a children’s playground.

In the capital Kyiv, at least four people were killed and 51 injured, including children, city officials said. A suspected missile strike hit a 24-storey residential building, causing part of the structure to collapse and raising fears that more people may be trapped under the rubble.

Several other buildings, including a nine-storey apartment block, caught fire after being struck by missile debris. Authorities also reported fires in open areas and damage near a kindergarten.

As explosions echoed across the capital, thousands of residents took shelter in underground metro stations, carrying belongings and mattresses while air defence systems attempted to repel the assault.

The attack followed warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that intelligence reports indicated a possible large-scale Russian strike.

“Warnings regarding Russian attacks remain in effect. A major strike is possible,” he said in a video address on Monday night, adding that Ukrainian forces remained on alert.

Russia had earlier warned of “systematic strikes” targeting Ukrainian military-linked facilities and decision-making centres in Kyiv, saying the move was in response to a reported attack in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region. Ukraine denied responsibility for the incident.

In Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, at least 10 people, including a child, were injured in separate drone and missile strikes, local officials said.

Meanwhile, authorities in Russia said a drone attack triggered a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region. Air defence systems were also activated over Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues with no major breakthrough in peace efforts.