At least three people have been killed and 13 injured in Russia's attack using multiple drones and missiles on two Ukrainian cities, officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack on Kyiv as “one of the largest” in the war that has been going on for more than three years.
He noted that overnight, Russian troops launched more than 315 drones, mostly Shaheds, and seven missiles at Ukrainian territory.
“Russian missile strikes and shahid attacks are louder than the efforts of the United States and other countries to force Russia to peace,” Mr Zelensky wrote, calling on the US and Europe to take “concrete actions” in response to the aggression.
The regional head, Oleg Kiper, said the attacks also damaged a maternity hospital and residential buildings in the center of the southern port city of Odessa.
According to the regional prosecutor's office, two people were killed and nine were injured in the city.
Another death was recorded in the Obolonsky district of Kyiv, the head of the region Timur Tkachenko reported on Telegram.
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, four people were injured in the attacks on the capital. Associated Press journalists heard explosions and drone noises throughout the city for several hours.
The new attacks came a day after Moscow launched nearly 500 drones in the biggest nighttime bombing campaign in three years of war. Ukrainian and Western officials had been expecting a Russian response to Ukraine’s brazen June 1 drone strikes on remote Russian air bases.
Russia continues to fire record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine while the two sides continue to exchange prisoners of war, the only notable outcome of the recent peace talks held in Istanbul on June 2.
At the meeting, the two sides exchanged memoranda outlining the terms of a potential ceasefire in the more than three-year-old conflict, but the inclusion of clauses that both sides find unacceptable makes a quick agreement unlikely. A ceasefire long sought by Kyiv remains elusive.
Fires have broken out in at least four districts of Kyiv after debris from downed drones fell on the roofs of residential buildings and warehouses, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Interior Minister Igor Klimenko reported on Telegram that the Russian attack caused 19 fires across the country.
“Russia must answer for each of its crimes. Until there is justice, there will be no security. For Ukraine,
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
