Russian forces launched a major overnight aerial assault on cities across Ukraine, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens more, officials said Tuesday.

In Dnipro, five people were killed and 25 wounded. In Kyiv, four people were killed and at least 51 injured, with 35 hospitalized. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two high-rise residential buildings were hit and people may be trapped under rubble.

Moscow had warned last week it would launch “systematic strikes” on Ukraine in response to a drone attack on a dormitory in Russia-held Luhansk that killed 21 people. Ukraine says it struck a Russian military unit, not a dormitory.

“The enemy is striking with ballistic missiles,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration. Air raid warnings were in place across most of Ukraine, and plumes of smoke rose from central Kyiv.

In Russia, a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai following a drone attack, with no casualties reported. The attack on Kyiv caused fires near a gas station, a construction site, and several apartment blocks, as well as blackouts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned Monday of a possible large Russian strike, saying “intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible, they have prepared one.”

The attacks come amid an escalation in hostilities, with Russia targeting civilian infrastructure and Ukraine striking Russian oil facilities. Since a brief ceasefire expired in May, Russia has launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks on Kyiv.

Source: www.bbc.com