KYIV — A wave of coordinated Russian airstrikes tore through several major Ukrainian cities early Tuesday morning, leaving at least nine people dead and more than 60 others injured, local officials reported.
The pre-dawn bombardment targeted the capital, Kyiv, as well as Kharkiv and the southeastern city of Dnipro, marking one of the most significant aerial assaults in recent weeks.
Devastation in Kyiv and Dnipro
In Kyiv, a missile strike caused the partial collapse of a 24-story residential building, raising fears that residents may be trapped beneath the rubble. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that at least four people, including a child, were killed in the capital, while 51 others sustained injuries.
“Falling missile debris has sparked fires across multiple buildings, including a nine-story apartment block,” Klitschko stated on Telegram. He added that wreckage in the Obolon district had set vehicles ablaze and ignited fires near a local kindergarten.
Meanwhile, in Dnipro, a combination of missile and drone strikes claimed five lives and injured 25 others. Regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha shared images of charred vehicles, destroyed homes, and a damaged children’s park, noting that the injured are currently hospitalized in stable condition.
Nationwide Alarms and Retaliation Claims
The strikes followed an explicit intelligence warning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the previous evening. Air raid sirens echoed across most of Ukraine as residents sought refuge in the underground metro system. Witness accounts described thousands of people rushing into subway stations carrying mattresses and personal belongings as air defense systems engaged incoming targets overhead.
Moscow had previously warned of targeted strikes against Ukrainian command centers, advising foreign nationals to evacuate the capital. The Russian government claimed the assault was a retaliatory measure for a drone strike last month on a student hostel in Russian-controlled Luhansk, which killed 21 people—an attack Kyiv has denied executing.
Border and Cross-Border Escalation
Kharkiv: Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed that ten people, including a child, were injured following missile and drone strikes in the northeastern city.
Krasnodar (Russia): Local authorities reported a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in southern Russia following a Ukrainian drone strike on Tuesday.
Sevastopol (Crimea): Russian-installed officials in the occupied peninsula claimed air defenses successfully intercepted several drones targeting a naval base.
