Russian air strikes targeting major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, killed at least five people and injured dozens early Tuesday, officials said, following repeated warnings that Moscow was preparing for a large-scale assault.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram that four people were killed and 16 others injured in a Russian strike on the eastern city of Dnipro.
According to Hanzha, all those injured were hospitalized and are in moderate condition. He also shared images showing heavily damaged residential buildings, charred vehicles, and a destroyed children’s playground.
In Kyiv, at least one person was killed and 29 others were injured across the city, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a suspected missile strike hit a 24-storey residential building, causing part of it to collapse and potentially trapping people beneath the rubble. He added that several other structures, including a nine-storey apartment building, caught fire due to falling missile debris.
“In the Obolon district, vehicles caught fire after being hit by falling missile fragments. Fires also broke out at two open locations, including one near a kindergarten,” Klitschko said.
Witnesses reported that thousands of Kyiv residents sought shelter in metro stations and other safe locations after air raid alerts were issued across large parts of the country early Tuesday.
Alerts Over a Massive Attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday repeated warnings about a possible large-scale attack and urged residents to remain alert and closely follow air raid warnings.
“Intelligence warnings about possible Russian strikes remain active. A large-scale attack is possible, and preparations for it have already been made,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
“Our defenders remain on full alert around the clock, using all resources currently available.”
Last week, Russia warned that it planned to carry out “systematic strikes” targeting sites in Kyiv connected to the Ukrainian military and key decision-making centres, while also advising foreign nationals to leave the area.
Russia said the strikes were carried out in response to a drone attack last month on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine that reportedly killed 21 people. Ukraine has denied responsibility for the incident.
In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, 10 people, including a child, were injured in separate drone and missile strikes, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the claims made by either side.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and power facilities, while Ukraine has intensified attacks on oil sites inside Russia this year, some of which have resulted in casualties. Both countries continue to deny deliberately targeting civilians.
The war in Ukraine has now stretched beyond four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Efforts to reach a resolution have shown limited progress, with the administration of US President Donald Trump currently concentrating on conflicts in the Middle East.