Russia launches major overnight air attack on Ukraine

At least nine people have been killed and dozens injured in a large Russian air attack on Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian officials. The strikes hit Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv, with authorities reporting damage to homes and infrastructure across several regions. Ukraine said the barrage involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, and air defences were active in multiple parts of the country.

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Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles overnight. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least four people were killed in the capital and 58 were wounded, including two children, in what he described as a mass attack. In Dnipro, regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said five people were killed and 25 wounded, three of them seriously.

In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 10 people, including a child, were injured. The attack prompted warnings from officials for people to stay in shelters as explosions were reported in the capital. Ukrainian authorities said many residents had already been sheltering in place after earlier warnings that Russia was preparing a major assault.

Russia's defence ministry said the bombardment targeted Ukraine's military-industrial complex, as well as energy and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian military in Kyiv and in the regions of Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk. The scale of the strike matters because it shows the continuing intensity of long-range attacks in the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Large drone-and-missile barrages have become a recurring feature of the conflict, placing pressure on Ukraine's air defences and on civilian infrastructure in major cities.

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The latest assault also comes as United States-led efforts to broker peace continue without a breakthrough. The overnight attack followed a warning from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine had intelligence indicating Russia was preparing a new massive strike. He urged people to pay attention to air alerts and said emergency services and air defences were on duty.

The warning appears to have prompted some residents to take shelter before and during the bombardment, according to reporting from Kyiv. What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage, whether more people may still be trapped, and how many of the wounded are in serious condition. It is also not yet clear how much of the Russian claim about military targets can be independently verified.

Further updates are likely as rescue teams continue work and officials assess the impact across the affected cities and regions.

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