A barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes killed nine people and wounded dozens across Ukraine, authorities said on Tuesday, just days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive new strike”.
Moscow has bombarded Ukraine almost daily since launching an offensive in 2022, often provoking retaliation from Kiev, as talks to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II remain stalled.
Journalists heard several explosions in the Ukrainian capital, where local authorities said Russia struck with ballistic missiles, setting off fires and cutting power in several districts.
The city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were killed and at least 58, including two children, wounded in the “mass enemy attack”.
“Explosions in the city. Air defence forces are working! Stay in shelters!” Klitschko had warned earlier.
Residents rushed to shelters clutching bags and blankets, AFP journalists observed, as a large plume of smoke emanated from Kiev’s city centre.
“The enemy is striking with ballistic missiles,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kiev’s City Military Administration, said.
Deadly strikes, involving both missiles and drones, were also reported elsewhere.
In the city of Dnipro, a Russian attack killed five people and wounded 25 others, three of whom were in serious condition, local governor Oleksandr Ganzha said.
Ten people, including a child, were wounded in the city of Kharkiv, according to the mayor, Igor Terekhov.
Amid the attack, Poland’s Air Force said on X that it had mobilised aircraft to protect Polish airspace.
