Russian strikes kill 10 in Kyiv and Dnipro as Ukraine warns of major assault

KYIV: Russian drones and missiles struck several Ukrainian cities early on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 100, according to Ukrainian authorities, after days of warnings that Moscow could launch a major attack.

The deadliest reported strikes were in Kyiv and the southeastern city of Dnipro. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were killed and 58 wounded in the capital, including children. In Dnipro and nearby areas, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said six people were killed and 36 were injured.

The attacks came amid an intensifying conflict in which Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy system and infrastructure during a war that has lasted more than four years, while Ukraine has increased strikes this year on Russian oil facilities. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Kyiv buildings hit, shelters crowded

Photos from Kyiv showed large blasts and heavy smoke rising near high-rise residential buildings. Klitschko said a suspected missile strike hit a 24-storey apartment building and caused part of it to collapse, with people believed to be trapped under the rubble. He added that a nine-storey apartment block was also among buildings set on fire by suspected missile debris.

Klitschko said falling debris also ignited cars in the Obolon district and caused fires in two open areas, including one near a kindergarten.

At one strike site, resident Olha Mudra described the scene as she stood with her six-year-old daughter, Natalia, near a destroyed residential building and damaged vehicles. "We couldn’t understand what was happening — some kind of apocalypse? Everything was covered (with debris), everything in smoke, you could see nothing."

Witnesses said thousands of people sought refuge in Kyiv’s subway system during the night, some carrying belongings and mattresses, while air defence systems could be heard responding to the assault. A Reuters witness said more explosions were heard in the capital after dawn.

Warnings of wider strike

Air raid alerts were issued across much of Ukraine early on Tuesday after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned the previous night that Russia could be preparing a large-scale assault.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said: "Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible. They have prepared one. Our defenders are ready 24/7 to the fullest extent possible with the supplies currently available."

Last week, the Kremlin said it planned “systematic strikes” on targets in Kyiv in response to a drone attack on a dormitory in the Russian-held region of Luhansk that killed 21 people. Ukraine denied carrying out that attack.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 10 people were injured in drone and missile attacks, including a child.

Attacks also reported in Russia

Russian authorities also reported overnight attacks. Local officials in the southern Krasnodar region said the Ilsky oil refinery caught fire after a drone strike. In the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local authorities said an 11-year-old boy was injured after a Ukrainian drone hit a home.

Russian news agencies, citing the defence ministry, said Russia had brought down 148 Ukrainian drones overnight. Authorities in Sevastopol, the base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea, said air defence systems were also responding to drone attacks there.

Reuters said it could not independently verify all of the reported battlefield claims. The war has continued since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and efforts to end the conflict have made little headway, with the administration of US President Donald Trump focused on conflicts in the Middle East.