At least ten people have been killed and dozens injured following a series of Russian airstrikes across Ukraine, with fatalities reported in Dnipro and the capital Kyiv, in what officials described as one of Moscow’s most intense assaults in recent months.
Six people were confirmed dead in Dnipro and four in Kyiv after overnight strikes hit residential areas, including apartment blocks, leaving emergency responders searching for survivors trapped under rubble.
Air raid alerts were activated across most of Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday, as explosions and drone activity were reported in multiple regions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there were fears that people may still be trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while urging residents to remain in shelters as rescue operations continued.
The head of the Kyiv Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, confirmed that ballistic missiles were used in the attack, with multiple impacts reported across the city.
Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from central Kyiv as explosions rocked residential districts. Fires broke out near a gas station, construction sites, apartment blocks, and private homes, according to city officials.
Widespread power outages were also reported across parts of the capital following the strikes.
In addition to Kyiv and Dnipro, an industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia was also hit, further expanding the geographic scale of the assault.
The attacks follow recent warnings from Moscow that it would carry out “systematic strikes” in response to a Ukrainian drone attack on a facility in Russian-held Luhansk region, which reportedly killed 21 people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier warned citizens to remain alert, stating that intelligence indicated a major Russian strike was being prepared.
“Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible, they have prepared one,” he said in his nightly address.
Russia has recently intensified its aerial campaign following the expiry of a brief ceasefire in May, launching multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Ukrainian cities, including previous strikes on residential buildings that killed civilians.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported a separate drone attack on the Krasnodar region, where a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery. No casualties were reported.
Ukraine has previously described Russian threats of expanded strikes on Kyiv as “blackmail,” urging international allies to increase pressure on Moscow.
As rescue operations continue, authorities in affected Ukrainian cities say the full extent of casualties and damage is still being assessed amid ongoing security threats.
