BBC:
Two people have been killed and children are among dozens wounded after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes against Ukraine overnight, officials have said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said it was an “especially difficult night for Kyiv”, where rescuers are searching through the rubble of a residential building after a combined missile and drone attack on the capital.
At least 40 people have been injured, including two children, the city’s mayor said. Some 31 of those are being treated in hospital.
It marks the third day in a row Ukraine has reported deaths, as Moscow ramps up its assault after a three-day ceasefire expired on Monday.
The overnight barrage saw more than 670 drones and 56 missiles launched across the country, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. This is among the largest attacks Russia has mounted since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022.
In the capital, a search and rescue operation began early Thursday to look for people under the rubble of a nine-storey apartment block which had been hit overnight.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko, who visited the building, said 18 apartments had been destroyed. He also said the attack had disrupted the city’s water supply.
Zelensky said dozens had been rescued from the building so far, while damage had also been done to other residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic and other infrastructure.
The large-scale attack saw Russian drones fly across much of Ukraine, with the regions of Kremenchuk, Bila Tserkva, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Odesa also coming under fire, Prime Minister Svyrydenko said.
“Ukraine needs help in strengthening its air defense,” she wrote on social media. “This is the only way to save our people and our cities.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “barbaric attack”, which he said showed Moscow was pursuing “aggression and terror” over peace.
He noted the attack had taken place during a crucial summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, and urged the two leaders to exert pressure on Russia.
“I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough leverage over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war,” he said.
