The Kremlin is intensifying its bombardment of Ukrainian cities despite global pressure on Moscow to engage in US-led peace efforts and end its full-scale invasion, now well into its fourth year.
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At least seven people were killed as Russian forces carried out a widespread aerial campaign targeting several Ukrainian cities, firing a barrage of hundreds of Iranian-made Shahed and decoy drones overnight on Tuesday.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, at least two people were killed and 20 others injured, according to local officials. Ivan Fedorov, Zaporizhzhia's regional governor, said two children, including a four-year-old, were among the injured.
The overnight attack came in a series of at least 10 strikes that hit the city, sparking massive fires that damaged homes and property, Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) reported.
Images released by SES showed firefighters battling the massive fires in private homes and other buildings, as well as on a transport truck.
Ukraine's air force confirmed the attack, saying Russia fired 10 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) shells, thought to be Tornado-S rockets, on Zaporizhzhia.
One person was also killed in the Kostiantynivka settlement in Donetsk, as Russian attacks intensify to deepen their foothold in the eastern Donbas region.
A series of attacks, which targeted residential areas and an educational institution in the northeastern Kharkiv region resulted in one death and at least five injuries, according to a post on Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov’s official Telegram channel.
The attacks in Kharkiv caused severe damage to the roof of a building and sparked a fire on impact that covered an area of roughly 150 metres.
In Kherson, two more people were killed and at least six were injured, after Russian troops targeted residential buildings and over a dozen civilian homes.
Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said all those injured were sent to nearby hospitals for treatment.
One more person was also killed in a separate attack in the adjacent Mykolaiv region. Authorities say they recovered the body of a 41-year-old man from the targeted site, as Russian missiles destroyed two houses in the area.
The capital Kyiv was also among those targeted in Tuesday’s extensive aerial raid. An industrial complex was struck in the Fastiv district, causing a massive fire.
Officials said at least 80 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the flames, equipped with some 22 units of equipment and specialised robotic machinery.
The attack caused damage to four private warehouses, 14 trucks and nine vehicles. However, authorities noted that the facility’s critical infrastructure remained intact and reported that there were no casualties.