At least 15 people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, including nine who died after a missile destroyed a five-storey apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv region, authorities said.
Emergency workers searched through the rubble of the collapsed building for survivors, while police said the death toll had risen to nine by late morning.
“Unfortunately, the bodies of three children were recovered,” police said in a statement on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned on Tuesday night that Russia was preparing “massive” attacks, particularly targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.
“The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively,” Zelensky said on Wednesday, describing the assault as “one of the most vile strikes” of the nearly five-year war.
Two people were killed after missiles struck high-rise buildings in Dnipro and Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, while two others died in Oleksandriya, Zelensky said.
Kyiv has faced intensified Russian attacks in recent weeks as winter approaches, with frequent air raid alerts forcing residents to seek shelter in underground stations.
Residents spent parts of Wednesday night in subway stations, carrying bags, sleeping mats and blankets as warnings of incoming strikes sounded.
“We grabbed our things and came here; we live right next door,” Iryna Rybalchenko, a bank worker, told AFP from a subway platform.
“The whole of Kyiv is in a state of fear. We were stuck at work today and everyone — our group chats, our bosses — were messaging us to be careful,” she said.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched at least 50 missiles and 130 drones overnight against several regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Poltava.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces intercepted some of the incoming weapons but described ballistic missiles as the biggest challenge, calling for additional air defence systems.
“The greatest challenge is ballistic missiles,” he said, adding that new air defences were “a vital necessity” for Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said two people were killed in a fire in the densely populated Darnytskyi district as a result of the attack.
He had warned last week that the capital needed to remain on a war footing as Russian strikes targeted bridges and energy infrastructure.
The renewed attacks also triggered scheduled power cuts in Kyiv on Tuesday, leaving parts of the capital without electricity as authorities sought to reduce pressure on the damaged power grid.
Generators once again became a familiar sound across the city, reviving memories of the previous winter when sustained Russian attacks disrupted electricity and heating supplies.
Zelensky had warned residents to remain alert after receiving intelligence indicating preparations for another large-scale Russian attack.
Military monitoring channels also reported expectations of an assault combining cruise and ballistic missiles with fast-moving, jet-powered drones.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were prepared to respond within the limits of their available defence systems.
The Ukrainian air force said it had intercepted five ballistic missiles, 39 cruise missiles and more than 100 drones.
Ukraine has struggled to intercept the newer, fast-moving jet-powered drones, as well as ballistic missiles, which are more difficult to shoot down.
“The children were absolutely terrified. Whenever there’s heavy shelling, we try to head underground,” Daria Medvedeva, 36, told AFP.
The latest attacks have heightened concerns over civilian casualties on both sides as Ukraine continues its own long-range strikes against Russian targets it considers important to its war effort.
Zelensky said Ukraine had carried out what he described as “just responses” against two oil facilities and a training ground in Russia’s Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions, as well as targets in the Black Sea.
