At least nine people were killed and more than 60 injured after Russia launched overnight missile and drone attacks on several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.
The attacks came amid repeated warnings from Kyiv that Moscow was preparing a large-scale assault following weeks of intensified fighting.
The southeastern city of Dnipro was among the hardest hit, with five people killed and 25 others injured, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha. All those injured were reported to be in a moderate condition and receiving treatment in hospital.
Images shared by Hanzha showed significant damage to residential buildings, burnt-out vehicles and a destroyed children’s playground.
In the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least four people had been killed and 51 wounded, including children.
A suspected missile strike caused part of a 24-storey residential building to collapse, raising fears that residents may still be trapped beneath the rubble. Elsewhere in the city, a nine-storey apartment block was set ablaze by falling missile debris.
“In the Obolon district, cars are burning after being struck by falling missile debris,” Klitschko said. “There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten.”
Thousands of Kyiv residents sought refuge in underground metro stations as air raid sirens sounded across much of the country. Witnesses reported seeing families carrying mattresses and personal belongings into shelters while air defence systems worked to intercept incoming missiles and drones.
Warnings of a Large-Scale Attack
The latest strikes followed renewed warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia may be preparing a major offensive.
“Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible. They have prepared one,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Monday.
“Our defenders are ready 24/7 to the fullest extent possible with the supplies currently available.”
Russia last week warned that it would carry out what it described as “systematic strikes” against military-linked targets and decision-making centres in Kyiv. Moscow said the attacks would be retaliation for a drone strike on a dormitory in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region last month that reportedly killed 21 people.
Ukraine has denied responsibility for the incident.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a child was among 10 people injured in separate missile and drone attacks.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported that the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region caught fire following a drone strike. Air defence systems were also activated over Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea, amid reports of incoming drones.
Reuters was unable to independently verify all claims made by either side.
The war, now in its fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues with little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough. Efforts to secure a negotiated settlement have stalled, while international attention has increasingly shifted towards conflicts in the Middle East.