At least 18 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a massive wave of Russian airstrikes across Ukraine overnight, officials said on Thursday.
Russia launched waves of attacks on several regions of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, citing the Ukrainian Air Force.
He said almost 700 Russian drones were launched over the course of the day on Wednesday and into the night. Nineteen ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles, were also fired overnight, he said, with most of the ballistic weapons targeting the capital, Kiev.
“Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force,” Zelensky wrote.
The attacks followed announcements of new military aid deals for Ukraine this week.
Zelensky thanked Germany, Norway, and Italy for the recent agreements to support Ukrainian air defence, and said Kiev was also working with the Netherlands to secure additional supplies.
Fatalities in Odessa, Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv
The southern Ukrainian port of Odessa was hit hard, with the head of the city’s military administration, Serhiy Lysak, reporting at least nine dead and 23 injured in several waves of missile and drone attacks.
Critical infrastructure, the port and residential buildings were also damaged in the strikes.
In Kiev, the public prosecutor’s office said four people were killed, including a 12-year-old boy, and at least 54 injured in the bombardment. Apartment blocks, private homes, a hotel, an office complex, a car dealership, a petrol station and a shopping centre were damaged, it said.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to remain in shelters as the city was attacked again.
Journalists from The Kyiv Independent reported multiple explosions as missiles struck the city in several waves.
Emergency services rescued a child from the rubble of a damaged apartment block. The child and the mother were receiving treatment.
In the eastern Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, four people were killed and 34 injured in Russian attacks involving drones, artillery and missiles, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.
In the eastern region of Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported one death and six injuries in the town of Merefa as a result of drone strikes.
European Council President António Costa accused Moscow of targeting first responders in the airstrikes.
“Russian armed forces deliberately carried out follow-up strikes on Ukrainian emergency services as first responders arrived to save lives,” Costa wrote on X.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has failed, and so it chooses to deliberately terrorize civilians,” he said, adding that “Russia must stop this war of terror.”
Russia also reports deaths
In the Russian region of Krasnodar on the Black Sea, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported two deaths, including a 14-year-old girl, and seven injuries following Ukrainian drone attacks.
He said a state of emergency had been declared in the Tupase district.
Drone debris damaged residential buildings, two educational institutions and a music school, and fell onto the grounds of a factory in the port area, Kondratyev said.
The governor said drone debris also caused a fire to break out on a civilian vessel in Novorossiysk, but said this was quickly extinguished.
Novorossiysk and Tuapse are the most important ports for Russian oil exports on the Black Sea. Tuapse is also home to a large refinery.
The Defence Ministry in Moscow said more than 200 Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian targets had been repelled. It described Russia’s attacks on Ukraine as a response to “terrorist attacks” by Kiev.
The Russian Ministry said its missile and drone strikes targeted a Ukrainian container terminal, depots for armoured vehicles and underground complexes used for testing robotics. The claims cannot be independently verified.
No peace in sight
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years, including with its own attacks on Russian territory.
Since the start of the war, Moscow has repeatedly attacked areas far behind the front line, also hitting civilian infrastructure.
Kiev’s allies pledged their continued support for Ukraine on Wednesday at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Berlin.
The United Kingdom promised to supply Ukraine with 120,000 drones for the fight against Russia.
Russia’s Defence Ministry responded with sharp criticism and published the addresses of arms companies located in Europe.
