Russian overnight missile and drone attacks on Ukraine have killed at least four people and wounded 17, local officials said, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
Reuters reported that Ukrainian officials said two people were killed and 13 others were injured in Kiev after Russian missiles and drones hit multiple locations in Ukraine overnight, including infrastructure and energy facilities, Ukrainian officials said today.
According to city authorities, the attack in Kiev caused multiple fires and damaged residential infrastructure, including a kindergarten.
The Guardian reports that Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev city military administration, said that in the Ukrainian capital, two people were killed and 13 were wounded in a ballistic missile attack in the early hours of the morning.
According to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, three injured people were taken to hospital.
A fire broke out in a non-residential building, while at another location, debris from downed missiles fell into an open area, damaging windows in nearby buildings, the emergency services said on Telegram.
"Explosions in the capital. The city is under ballistic attack," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram during the attack.
In Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were killed and seven were wounded, said the acting regional governor, Vladislav Khayvanenko, adding that the attacks damaged residential buildings, private houses, outbuildings, one shop and at least one vehicle, the Guardian reported.
"These attacks are once again targeting our civilian and energy infrastructure. Russia is now trying to provoke a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine that would coincide with winter," Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko announced on the X network.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha said that Russian missiles and drones also targeted the power grid, railway infrastructure and residential buildings in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Sumy.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched nine missiles and 62 drones, of which Ukrainian air defense forces shot down four missiles and 50 drones.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that their air defenses shot down 121 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called on the United States (US) to expand sanctions on Russian oil - from two companies to the entire energy sector - and requested long-range missiles with which Ukraine could retaliate against Russia.
Zelensky was in London, where he held talks with about two dozen European leaders who pledged military support to Ukraine to protect the country from future Russian aggression if a ceasefire is achieved.
The meeting, chaired by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was aimed at increasing pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and further reinforcing recent measures - including a new package of US and European sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports, a key source of revenue for the Kremlin.
The talks also focused on protecting Ukraine's energy grid from near-daily Russian drone and missile attacks ahead of the winter, strengthening Ukraine's air defenses, and delivering long-range missiles that could hit targets deep inside Russia.
Zelensky has repeatedly called on the US to deliver Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, an idea that, according to media reports, US President Donald Trump is "toying with".
System Patriot
Thick clouds of smoke could be seen over Kiev on Saturday morning, as firefighters raced to put out fires across the city.
By noon, with the help of two helicopters, they had localized the fire in a 13.000 square meter warehouse, and had also extinguished the fire in another building.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks once again showed how important Patriot air defense systems are in protecting Ukrainian cities from constant Russian strikes.
"Since the beginning of this year alone, Russia has fired about 770 ballistic missiles and more than 50 Kinzhal missiles at Ukraine," Zelensky said on Telegram.
Patriot systems have proven effective in destroying Russian ballistic missiles, and Ukraine is currently negotiating the purchase of 25 such systems from the United States.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down four of the nine missiles and 50 of the 62 drones launched during the nighttime attacks.
They said five missiles and 12 drones directly hit 11 locations across the country.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON