Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kiev early on Thursday, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive attack”.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had launched a “massive strike” on Kiev “in response to the Kiev regime’s terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure”.
The attack came after Ukraine’s air force warned that ballistic missiles were headed towards the capital and Zelenskyy cut short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike.
AFP journalists in central and eastern Kiev heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents, some carrying children and pets, rushing to shelter in metro stations.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the strikes killed nine people and wounded 34.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kiev’s military administration, accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and residential areas.
Homes and a student dormitory was damaged
According to regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk, five districts in the wider Kiev region were hit.
“During the night, the enemy once again launched a massive attack on the Kiev region using strike drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” Kalashnyk said on Telegram.
He said emergency crews were battling fires at warehouses and a house in the Bucha district, while homes, a student dormitory and vehicles were damaged elsewhere in the region.
Hours earlier, an AFP reporter witnessed an explosion in central Kiev during an air raid alert, followed by smoke and flames. Firefighters and ambulances were deployed to the scene.
A second blast occurred around 50 minutes later near the initial impact site, sending debris into the air.
Images released by Ukrainian emergency services at daybreak showed extensive damage to a residential building, with a large section torn away.
