Klitschko: At least four killed in Russian missile and drone attack on Kiev

At least four people were killed and 20 injured in a Russian missile and drone attack on Kiev this morning, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, said, as air raid sirens sounded in a wider combined attack across Ukraine, the Associated Press (AP) agency reports.

Klitschko said search and rescue operations were underway in several locations.

Multiple explosions were heard in Kiev, where debris sparked fires in several districts as air defense systems tried to intercept incoming targets, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev city administration.

"Our air defense crews are doing everything possible. But we need to protect each other, to stay safe," Tkachenko wrote on Telegram, according to the AP.

Authorities reported damage in several counties, and rescue workers responded to multiple locations. They urged residents to seek shelter.

In Solomyansky District, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a XNUMX-story building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the apartment, and rescue operations are underway. Another fire broke out in a metal warehouse.

Tkachenko said that metro tracks between two stations in Kiev were damaged in the attack, but that there were no fires or injuries.

In the northern Chernihiv region, a "Shahid" drone exploded near a residential building, shattering windows and doors, according to the head of the regional military administration, Dmitry Bryzhinsky. He added that ballistic missile explosions were also recorded on the outskirts of the city.

The overnight attack came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before separating them and pursuing peace, in comments that marked a significant departure from Trump's often-stated calls to end the three-year war.

Trump spoke during a meeting with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who called him "the key person in the world" who could stop the bloodshed by putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.