Heavy Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv killed at least five people, wounded dozens and caused widespread damage on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said.
Four civilians were killed and 92 others were injured in the capital of Kyiv, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel, as Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound bore down on the city.
Strikes in Kharkiv killed one person and wounded more than 40 others, as well as damaging multi-storey buildings, said the head of the city’s military administration, Oleh Syniehubov.
The attacks struck residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, hours after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said an air strike on the Russian city of Belgorod, which killed 24 civilians and which he blamed on Ukraine, “will not go unpunished” and promised to intensify attacks.
Russia has stepped up air strikes on Ukraine over the New Year period, and on Friday conducted its largest air attack of the almost two-year-old war on Ukraine, killing at least 39 people.
Russia attacked with waves of different missiles during the morning rush hour on Tuesday. Military authorities issued air alerts that lasted for at least three hours.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said gas pipelines had been damaged in Kyiv’s Pecherskyi district, and electricity and water had been cut off in several districts of the capital. Rescuers were putting out fires in several places, he said.
The loss of electricity and water brought back memories of last winter, when Russia pounded the energy grid with missiles, causing frequent power cuts and plunging millions into darkness.
Syniehubov said the central part of the city of Kharkiv was attacked at about 07:30am (05:30 GMT).
After the initial aerial barrage, Yuri Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, said the situation remained tense and that air defences were bracing for more Russian missile launches.
