Among the Russian targets was a five-story apartment building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. The strike destroyed large parts of the building and killed at least nine people. Several others were injured, including two boys, aged six and 11, and a 17-year-old girl, the regional governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram.
Several people are also missing, including a child, according to rescue workers. They are feared to be trapped under the rubble of the building that was “virtually destroyed” in the attacks.
Stuck in ruins
Rescue workers were working intensively to reach the injured and those in need among the ruins, AFP's reporter on the ground in Ukraine's second-largest city reported.
A large portion of the missiles and drones fired were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, but Russia's attacks were still able to cause extensive damage.
In addition, at least one person was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
At least one more death was reported in the Sumy region in the Russian attacks.
Russia has confirmed the attacks on Ukraine, describing them as "massive, high-precision strikes" against military targets in Ukraine, without mentioning that civilian targets were hit.
Orders fighter jets
It is uncertain how many missiles and drones Ukraine's air defenses managed to shoot down. Delays and obstacles in the delivery of weapons systems from, among others, the United States are severely weakening Ukraine's air defenses.
The night's attack prompted neighboring NATO member Poland to order fighter jets to take off in the airspace outside Ukraine - which is routine during major Russian attacks.
