Russia pounds Ukraine with deadly hours-long missile and drone barrage
Kyiv, Ukraine - Russia pounded Ukraine for hours with hundreds of drones and missiles overnight, killing at least four people, including a 12-year-old girl, Kyiv said Sunday.
Neighboring Poland scrambled jets to secure its airspace in the wake of the 12-hour barrage, after NATO accused Moscow of being behind a series of violations of the defense alliance's airspace.
Diplomatic efforts to stop the war have faltered, and Russia has vowed to press on with the offensive that it launched in February 2022.
"Moscow wants to continue fighting and killing and deserves only the harshest pressure from the world," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the strikes, which lasted for 12 hours.
"The Kremlin benefits from continuing this war and terror as long as there are profits from energy sales," he added, urging stronger measures against Russia.
Following the massive aerial barrage, Zelensky held a round of calls with allies, including NATO chief Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
Russia said it had only hit military targets during the attack.
Russia's full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, killing tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
The Ukrainian leader vowed his country would target Russia's ability to fund the war and force Moscow to the negotiating table.
At least four people were killed in Kyiv, authorities said, including a 12-year-old girl, and more than 40 people were wounded across the Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Cherkasy, and Mykolaiv regions.
Residential buildings, schools, and more hit in latest Russian attack
Kyiv region resident Mark Sergeev and his family were sleeping when a missile hit their apartment in the middle of the night.
"I still can't believe that the children are alive. It's such a blessing from God. They were right under the roof when it hit them. The roof was torn off right above my eldest son's bed," the 35-year-old told AFP.
Anna (26) said her apartment was covered in broken glass after it was hit.
"I was in shock, so I didn't hear much... But I heard a rocket flying for a long time, and then there was just an explosion and the windows shattered," she said.
Zelensky posted photos of residential buildings in flames, with emergency services putting out fires and rescuing people from shattered buildings.
More victims could be uncovered in the debris, rescuers said. AFP reporters saw rescuers using heavy machinery to clear up the rubble from almost completely destroyed buildings.
Apart from residential buildings, a cardiology center and a kindergarten were among the buildings hit across the country, Ukraine's foreign ministry said.
Russia rained down 643 drones and rockets, including cruise missiles, across eastern, central, and southern Ukraine, Ukraine's General Staff said.
Poland scrambles to protect its airspace from Russia
Poland's armed forces said on X that Warsaw had scrambled fighter jets in its airspace and put ground-based air defense systems on high alert.
In recent weeks, several European countries have accused Russia of violating their airspace with drones and fighter jets, in what NATO sees as a test of its resolve.
Russia has denied that it is responsible for the incursions or that it plans to attack any NATO nation.
In an address at the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that "any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response".
Zelensky said Ukraine received a US-made Patriot air defense system from Israel, and two more were expected to arrive soon, after he returned from New York, where he also addressed the UN.
Kyiv and Moscow also said on Saturday that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe's largest – had been off the grid for four days, stoking fears of a potential nuclear incident.
Cover photo: REUTERS