Ukrainian authorities reported that at least 12 people were killed and dozens wounded in Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a major assault. The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles overnight on Tuesday.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least four people were killed in the capital and 58, including two children, were wounded in what he called a “mass enemy attack”. He urged residents to stay in shelters. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Oleksandr Ganzha said at least eight people were killed and 36 others, including children, wounded. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported ten wounded, including a child.

Al Jazeera’s Audrey Macalpine, reporting from Kyiv, said the government had warned Ukrainians about a potential large-scale Russian attack, and many had been sheltering. Russia’s military claimed the bombardment targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex. The Russian Defense Ministry said the “massive strike” using “high-precision weapons” targeted Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as energy and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian military.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Russia’s Kursk region, and another drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in Krasnodar. The attacks came after Zelenskyy said on Friday that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing a new massive strike, urging people to heed safety precautions.

The major Russian assault occurs as US-led peace efforts to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, have largely stalled, with the Trump administration focused on Middle East conflicts. The international community has condemned the attacks, but no immediate ceasefire is in sight.

Source: www.aljazeera.com