Russian missile strikes killed 18 people and injured 130 more as they targeted key Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, officials say.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says 139 homes were destroyed as Ukraine was rocked by attacks. He says the death toll could continue to rise as people are thought to be trapped in rubble.
Officials in Kharkiv earlier said eight people – including an eight-year-old girl – had died in blasts. In Pavlohrad, central Dnipropetrovsk region, one woman was killed, the BBC reports.
While 22 people were injured in Kyiv after cars were set on fire. In a video address, Zelensky said: “Ordinary life is what modern Russia considers a threat to itself. This state is a typical terrorist.
Kharkiv was hit the hardest with a block of flats destroyed by the missiles. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said rescuers were searching for survivors after the blast.
The sky over the city reportedly turned orange after the assault. Due to Kharkiv’s proximity to the Russian border, it is understood intercepting missiles can be difficult.
Terekhov said another seven people were injured as Russians continued to attack the city on Tuesday evening. Elsewhere the air raid siren sounded in Kyiv for more than two-and-a-half hours on Tuesday morning – the longest in three weeks.
Several people were injured when a block of flats caught fire. A woman was thought to have died, but officials say she is fighting for her life in intensive care.
Three regions of Kyiv are thought to have been damaged by falling debris. While several buildings were damaged in the Sviatoshynskyi district.
The office of Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said 13 people – including three children – were being treated in hospital. Families in Kyiv were eventually able to leave their homes after the siren was stopped.
Ukraine said it had destroyed 22 of 44 ballistic and cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight.
