Russia pounds Ukraine in hours-long attack, kills 18

Kyiv: Russia launched a massive aerial barrage involving nearly 700 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, killing at least 18 people and wounding over 100.

The hours-long attack targeted civilian areas in Kyiv, Odesa, and the Dnipro region, damaging homes and infrastructure. President Volody­myr Zelenskyy, returning from a European tour to secure better air defences, condemned the strikes. 

While Ukraine’s air force shot down 667 targets, officials pleaded for more Patriot missile systems. Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported two deaths in Krasnodar following retaliatory Ukrainian drone strikes overnight.

European Council President António Costa described the Russian strikes as “horrendous”. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for perpetrators of these “war crimes’ to be held to account.