Russia carries out "massive attacks" against Ukraine and leaves at least 11 dead

Russian drones and missiles bombed Kiev and other Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 100, authorities said, after days of warnings about Moscow's plans for a major attack.

Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy supplies and infrastructure in a war that has lasted more than four years, while Ukraine has stepped up attacks this year on Russian oil facilities. Both countries deny targeting civilians.

Last week, the Kremlin warned it intended to carry out "systematic strikes" against targets in Kiev in response to a drone strike on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian region of Luhansk that killed 21 people. Ukraine denied the attack.

Photographs showed huge explosions and plumes of smoke rising over high-rise buildings in Kiev, where night strikes killed four people and injured 65, including children, according to the capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

"We couldn't understand what was happening - some kind of apocalypse?" said Olha Mudra, speaking at the scene of one of the attacks, accompanied by her six-year-old daughter, Natalia.

"Everything was covered (in debris), everything was in smoke, you couldn't see anything," she added, as she stood in front of a destroyed residential building and damaged cars.

A suspected missile attack on a 24-story apartment building caused a collapse, leaving people likely trapped under the rubble, Klitschko added, while a nine-story apartment block was among other buildings torched by suspected missile debris.

"In the Obolon district, cars are on fire after being hit by missile debris," Klitschko said. "There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten."

Thousands of people seeking shelter packed Kiev's subway system on Tuesday morning, witnesses said, some carrying pets, belongings and mattresses, as the sound of defense systems repelling Russian attacks echoed in the air.

"I only dream that this war will end soon, but I've lost all hope. I don't know, it's difficult," said Valeriia Nafechinko, 32, a resident of Kiev, sheltering in a metro station, with a heavy sigh. "Sorry for getting emotional."

Warnings of a serious attack
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles overnight, mainly targeting Kiev. In a statement on Telegram, the Air Force said 40 missiles and 602 drones were shot down or neutralized.

An Air Force spokesman said the attack included eight Zircon hypersonic missiles, likely the largest number of such missiles used by Russia during the war. Zircon has a range of 1,000 km and travels at nine times the speed of sound, according to Moscow.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had carried out a "massive attack" against Ukrainian defense industry facilities, using long-range and high-precision weapons.

Seven 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 hospitalized in moderate condition, he added, posting photos of destroyed residential buildings, burned vehicles and a damaged playground. One of the fatal victims was a rescue worker who was killed in a double shooting attack against professionals in the area, according to emergency services.

Air raid warnings sounded across much of the country on Tuesday morning, following warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy the day before about a possible major attack.

In Ukraine's northeastern region of Kharkiv, a child was among 10 people injured in drone and missile attacks, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

EU and NATO member Poland sent military fighter jets on Tuesday to ensure the security of its airspace following Russian attacks in Ukraine, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said.

Russian regions were also attacked. The Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region caught fire after a drone attack, local authorities reported on Telegram on Tuesday.

In the Russian region of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine, an 11-year-old boy was injured after a Ukrainian drone hit a house, local authorities said on Telegram.

Russia shot down a total of 148 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russian news agencies said, citing the Defense Ministry.

The air defense systems were also repelling drone attacks over Sevastopol, a Russian naval fleet base in Russian-occupied Crimea, local authorities said.

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

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Source: CNN