Russian barrage on Ukraine kills 15, wounds dozens more

Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more in Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, authorities said Wednesday, the latest in a wave of deadly attacks on Ukraine.

Kyiv has in recent months urged allies to supply more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors as Russia steps up its use of ballistic missiles more than four years into its full-scale invasion.

AFP journalists heard explosions in Kyiv after midnight (2100 GMT Tuesday), following Ukrainian air force warnings of incoming ballistic missiles.

One journalist reported seeing dark smoke and the acrid smell of burning lingering in the air hours later.

Kyiv's military administration said the missile and drone barrage slammed into residential buildings and several warehouses.

"The enemy is once again deliberately striking civilians and civilian infrastructure," it said on Telegram.

The military administration reported one woman killed and at least 24 other people wounded in the capital after strikes sparked fires in four districts.

In the Kyiv region, 14 people were killed in strikes, regional authorities said, noting more than 20 were wounded in Kyiv's surrounding areas.

"Kyiv region experienced one of its most tragic enemy attacks yet again tonight," Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration, wrote on Telegram.

"Russia has once again brought death and destruction to our land, taking the lives of civilians. Just accountability will certainly follow for every such crime."

The violence follows a series of deadly overnight strikes in the capital.

Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs on Saturday killed 10 people and wounded more than 30 others while Ukrainian drones sank a huge Russian container ship in the Black Sea.

AFP