At least 10 people, including two children, were killed after Russia launched a large overnight barrage of drones and missiles across Ukraine on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.
The northeastern city of Kharkiv was among the hardest hit. Local authorities said a Russian ballistic missile struck a five-storey residential building, causing extensive damage and killing 10 residents. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city was targeted by both drones and missiles during the assault.
“When we arrived here 20 minutes after the explosion, I thought I was going to have a stroke,” said Hanna, a resident of the destroyed building, speaking to Reuters. “I couldn’t string two words together, and my legs were buckling. Ordinary people lived here. What were they targeting?”
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said 15 people were also wounded in the city, while 19 residential buildings sustained damage. Commercial and administrative structures, power lines and vehicles were also affected.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 480 drones and 29 missiles overnight, targeting energy facilities and railway infrastructure across the country. Ukrainian air defence units shot down 453 drones and 19 missiles, the air force said, though several projectiles still reached their targets.
“There should be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, urging Ukraine’s allies to continue providing air defence systems and weapons. He said Russia continues attempts to destroy residential areas and critical infrastructure.
In Kyiv, three people were injured after strikes hit an energy facility, disrupting heating for more than 2,800 residential apartment buildings across four districts of the capital, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo reported emergency power cuts in seven regions following the attacks.
Ukrainian officials also said Russian strikes hit four railway stations and other rail infrastructure in central parts of the country, as well as port facilities in the southern Odesa region. The attack in Odesa set containers of vegetable oil on fire and damaged a grain warehouse.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out overnight strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial sites, airfields and energy facilities, according to the Interfax news agency.