RUSSIAN STRIKE KILLS FOUR AND INJURES TEN IN UKRAINE

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A Russian missile strike in Kyiv claimed the lives of four individuals, city officials reported on Saturday. Ukraine’s foreign minister condemned the attack, describing it as a “heinous” use of ballistic missiles.

At least three other people sustained injuries, while a separate overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine left 10 people wounded, according to the regional governor.

Although Kyiv often faces Russian drone and missile attacks, fatalities are uncommon in the capital due to its robust air defense systems, which offer greater protection compared to other parts of the country.

“We already have four dead in Shevchenkivsky district,” Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a Telegram post, referring to a central area of the capital.

“Yet another proof that Putin wants war, not peace,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a post on social media.

“He must be forced to accept a just peace through strength — maximum economic and military pressure,” he added.

The air force said it had downed two Iskander ballistic missiles as well as 24 Russian attack drones overnight.

But it said the downed missiles “fell” on Kyiv’s central Shevchenkivsky district, damaging an industrial building, a subway to the metro and residential buildings, and temporarily knocking out local water supplies.

In Kyiv, an AFP reporter observed flooding at the attack site and the burned remains of a McDonald’s restaurant destroyed in the strike.

The city’s mayor reported that air defense systems were active throughout the night, providing updates via social media.

The attack occurred as Kyiv has intensified its aerial assaults on Russian energy and military infrastructure in recent months.

Ukraine’s military has recently targeted several Russian oil depots, including two significant strikes on a facility near a military airfield in Saratov, Russia, which resulted in prolonged fires.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russian forces carried out another attack on Zaporizhzhia overnight, continuing a series of strikes on the southern city.

Regional governor Ivan Fedorov said Russia had “cynically” targeted the centre of the city “while everyone was sleeping”.

Ten people were wounded of whom one was in a serious condition, he said.