Russian drones, missiles strike Ukraine in major attack; 10 dead, dozens wounded

Russian drones and missiles pounded Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Dnipro early on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding about 100, authorities said, following days of warnings about Moscow’s plans for a major assault.

Russia has targeted Ukraine’s power supply and infrastructure in a war now more than four years old, while Ukraine has stepped up attacks this year on Russian oil facilities. Both deny targeting civilians.

Last week, the Kremlin warned that it intended “systematic strikes” on targets in Kyiv in response to a drone attack on a dormitory in Ukraine’s Russian-held region of Luhansk, which killed 21. Ukraine denied the attack.

Photographs showed large explosions and plumes of smoke billowing over high-rise buildings in Kyiv, where overnight strikes killed four people and wounded 58, including children, according to the capital’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

Thousands seeking shelter flooded into the Kyiv subway system early on Tuesday, witnesses said, some carrying belongings and mattresses, as the sound of defence systems repelling Russian attacks filled the air.

More explosions were heard in the capital after dawn, a Reuters witness said.

Warnings of a major attack

Six people were killed and 36 injured in a missile and drone attack on the southeastern city of Dnipro and its surroundings, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on the Telegram messaging app.

All the injured were in hospital in moderate condition, he added, posting pictures of destroyed residential buildings, burnt-out vehicles and a damaged children’s playground.

Air raid warnings sounded over much of the country early on Tuesday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s warnings the previous day of a possible major assault.

“Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible. They have prepared one,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Reuters could not independently verify all the reports.

The Ukraine war has ground on since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Efforts to end it have made little progress, with the administration of US President Donald Trump focused on conflicts in the Middle East.