New Delhi, Jun 02: At least nine people were killed and dozens injured after Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Dnipro, according to a BBC report.
The BBC reported that four people were killed and at least 51 injured in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where two high-rise residential buildings were hit. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there were fears that more people could be trapped under the rubble. Thirty-five of the injured were hospitalised. In the southeastern city of Dnipro, five people were killed and 25 others injured in the strikes, the report said.
Air raid alerts were issued across most of Ukraine as Russian forces reportedly used ballistic missiles and drones in the attack. Fires broke out near residential buildings, a gas station and a construction site, while blackouts were reported in parts of Kyiv. An industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia was also hit, according to the BBC.
The latest assault came days after Moscow warned it would carry out “systematic strikes” on Ukraine in response to a drone attack in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region last month that reportedly killed 21 people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier warned of a possible large-scale Russian strike and urged citizens to heed air raid alerts. Russia had also recently threatened to target military and decision-making centres in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities said a drone attack caused a fire at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, though no casualties were reported, the BBC said. The attack marks one of the latest escalations in the ongoing conflict, with both sides continuing long-range strikes following the collapse of a brief ceasefire in May.
