Russian missiles and drones kill at least 12 in overnight attacks on Ukraine
Russian missiles and drones pounded Kyiv and a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday, killing at least 12 civilians, including three children, and wounding more than 40, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine had anticipated the attack, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning a day earlier that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing a “massive” strike. But despite the warning, Ukrainian air defences were unable to prevent significant loss of life and destruction.
The attack came as Russia’s ballistic missiles and new jet-powered drones continue to pose major challenges to Ukraine’s air defences. Kyiv has been seeking additional Patriot missiles, which are in short supply, while developing new interceptors capable of countering the high-flying drones.
Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in an intensifying long-range aerial war while their forces remain largely deadlocked on the battlefield, more than four and a half years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion. The sustained attacks are causing mounting damage across Ukraine, while Russia is also facing strikes on strategic infrastructure.
US-led peace efforts appear unlikely to bring immediate relief, with the possibility of low-level technical talks still under discussion. Western analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin is continuing the war in the belief that sustained pressure could force Ukraine to weaken and test the commitment of its Western supporters.
Russian strike destroys apartment block, killing nine
A Russian strike destroyed an apartment block in Pryluky in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, killing nine people, including three children, and wounding 34, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said.
Deaths were also reported in three other Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, according to Zelenskyy.
“The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
Ukraine is searching internationally for available Patriot missiles as it seeks to strengthen its air defences.
“Russian ballistic missiles remain the greatest challenge. And air defence packages for us right now are a vital necessity,” Zelenskyy said.
In Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, two people were killed and seven wounded, said Vitalii Diakivnych, head of the regional military administration. Rescue operations were continuing.
“That is exactly what the enemy is counting on. For us to be afraid to fall asleep. To let our children out of our sight. To plan anything. So that everyone thinks: next time it could be my address,” he said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out a massive overnight strike targeting industrial facilities involved in the production and storage of missiles and drones across Ukraine.
It also said port and ship-repair facilities in the southern Odesa region, as well as ships carrying cargo for the Ukrainian military, were targeted.
Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities
Ukraine has responded with long-range drone and missile attacks on Russian oil refineries and storage facilities.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had targeted two oil facilities and a training ground in Russia’s Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions.
Russian officials did not immediately comment on the reported attacks.
Zelenskyy also indicated that Ukraine had carried out an attack in the Black Sea, posting images that he said showed an oil tanker burning near the Russian resort city of Sochi.
The images could not be independently verified.
Some Russian online media outlets also published the images late Tuesday. Unconfirmed reports said the vessel was carrying oil from Novorossiysk to India and had been attacked by Ukrainian sea drones.