Russia targeted Ukraine's capital and other cities across the country with a barrage of drones and missiles before dawn on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding at least a dozen, Ukrainian officials said.
Air raid alarms rang out as paramedics rushed to find the dead and wounded – a common practice in a nation that has been hit by Russian bombing for almost three years.
The Ukrainian Air Force said four missiles and 39 drones were used in the attack, adding that two ballistic missiles were fired in the Kyiv region, the capital.
In Kyiv, the attack breached a main water main near the city centre, sending water pouring down the streets around the facade of the Lukyanivska metro station. Next to it was a burnt out van, smoke still billowing from it and two burnt bodies inside.
As the fire burned inside an industrial building across the street, other firefighters were trying to drag debris away from the heavily damaged McDonald's. Others focused on large sections of glass, debris and graffiti covering the sidewalk near the metro station – often a place where residents seek safety in the event of an attack.
As investigators walked up and down the street, reaching into the flowing water in search of pieces of debris, local shopkeepers tried to get through the police line.
“It's very scary because this place is constantly being hit. Some things are caught, but others always pass. It's always very scary, especially since my husband has a shop here,” said Yana, 30, who would only give her name. “It's just scary. There has never been peace. We came to check if everything is okay, and thank God, everything is okay. We are very happy and relieved.”
The missile attack came after Ukrainian air defense teams spent hours tracking and trying to shoot down the drones that attacked in the sky above the country.
Russia uses drones for both targeting and eliminating air defense groups, and for months, has sent dozens of them into Ukraine almost every night. Many are “dummy” drones, without warheads, intended to overwhelm mobile air defense teams on 24-hour surveillance.
Kyiv is trying to reserve its more advanced air defense systems to combat cruise and ballistic missiles, which are more dangerous and more expensive to produce.
One air raid warning had just ended in Kyiv shortly before 6 a.m. when booms were heard across the city. Seconds later, an air raid siren sounded.
Explosions were also reported in other parts of Ukraine.
In Zaporizhzhia, in the south, at least 10 people were injured, including one seriously, after an infrastructure strike. The city has been hit hard recently, including a strike this month that killed 13 civilians and injured at least 110, according to Ukrainian officials.
The United Nations estimates a 30 percent increase in civilian casualties in 2024 compared to 2023, as Russia seeks to push Ukraine into submission.
Saturday's attack came a day after Russian missiles struck the city of Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, killing four. people and destructive structures.
“Each such terrorist attack is another reminder of who we are up against,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the strike in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih. “Russia will not stand alone. It can only be stopped by joint pressure. It is the pressure of everyone in the world who values life.”
Ukraine has been building its own fleet of long-range missiles and drones to push back. In recent weeks, it has stepped up its campaign to target oil and gas facilities inside Russia.
That campaign continued on Saturday, with fires reported at an oil storage facility in Tula region, south of Moscow, and Kaluga region, about 100 kilometers southwest of Moscow.
Liubov Sholudko contributed reporting from Kyiv.
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