Authorities in Ukraine confirm that dozens have been injured in a spate of missile strikes on the capital Kyiv overnight.
The attacks left 53 people injured, including six children, as confirmed by Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Debris from 10 Russian ballistic missiles, reportedly shot down, damaged kindergarten and hospital buildings, according to authorities.
The strikes occurred following the departure of President Volodymyr Zelensky from the US.
President’s call to Congress for increased military aid to Ukraine encountered resistance, with reluctant Republicans showing little inclination to support the plea.
EU leaders will also discuss further aid for Ukraine on Thursday, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “we must give Ukraine what it needs to be strong today”.
Mr Zelensky promised a response to Wednesday’s overnight attack. ‘Russia has proven once again that it is a heinous country that fires missiles at night, trying to hit residential areas, kindergartens, and energy facilities during the winter,’ he posted on X.
The assault on Kyiv on Wednesday commenced at approximately 03:00 (01:00 GMT), constituting the second ballistic missile strike on the capital within the week.
Notably, Kyiv had been untouched by missile attacks for 79 days until last Friday, despite encountering Russian drone assaults in recent weeks.
Ukraine’s air force declared that it successfully shot down “all” 10 targets approaching the city, employing anti-aircraft missiles.
Residential apartment blocks saw shattered windows, and parked cars were destroyed amidst loud explosions that preceded the sounding of air raid sirens, indicating the impact of ballistic missiles.
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Last week, officials noted that Russia began employing cruise missiles again after a 79-day interval.
‘Ballistics [are] used precisely so that people have no chance to hide in bomb shelters,’ Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces General Staff identified the projectiles as Iskander-M ballistic missiles, as well as S-400s: extremely fast missiles intended for air defence, but which have also been used to hit ground targets.
One man, Oleksander, told the BBC that the windows in his apartment were blown out in the middle of the night. He started crying as he recalled seeing his neighbours and their children being taken away by ambulance.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s biggest mobile network operator says it hopes to restore operations on Wednesday after what appeared to be the largest cyberattack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Millions of people face the risk of missing air raid alerts as Tuesday’s cyberattack on Kyivstar, which boasts over half of Ukraine’s mobile subscribers, unfolds. The latest cyber offensive has been attributed to a Russian hacking group responsible for targeting Ukrainian internet providers and websites earlier this year.
Drones targeted the port city of Odesa for “several hours” overnight, as reported by a regional military chief. The attack resulted in two reported injuries and damage to civil infrastructure.
The Ukrainian president’s unannounced visit to Norway on Wednesday was centered around discussions regarding increased support for his country’s defenses.
After his visit to the US, he flew to Norway, making a final push to win new military aid from Congress before the currently approved amount expires.
Despite expectations, it appears that Mr. Zelensky’s efforts to use his persuasive skills in Washington DC to unlock military aid have not yielded positive results.