A Russian missile strike killed at least six people in central Ukraine, including two girls, according to the head of Kryvyi Rih’s military administration, as reported by infohub.kz. Oleksandr Vilkul said an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from the Voronezh region hit a private house in a village on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih, killing two girls aged five and 12 and four adults. Eight more people were wounded, and the death toll may rise.
In Kyiv, one death was confirmed by the city’s military administration. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported fires in several districts. Earlier, he posted: “The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic weapons. The threat of further attack remains present. Stay in shelters!”
In the western city of Lviv, residential buildings were damaged by Russian air attacks, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram, citing preliminary reports and urging people to seek shelter.
Late on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted: “The Russians prepared a massive attack several days ago, and there is a high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight… Please, in all regions of Ukraine, pay attention to air raid alerts today and stay safe.”
During the attacks, Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace, its armed forces said. “Fighter aircraft and an early warning aircraft have begun operations while ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness.”
Zelenskyy reiterated his request to Ukraine’s allies to supply Kyiv with the missiles its air defence system lacks. “It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness, or lack of willingness, to provide air defence missiles,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Russia, a warehouse of online retailer Wildberries in the western city of Penza caught fire from a Ukrainian drone attack, said regional governor Oleg Melnichenko. One person was injured and around 200 people were evacuated from the site, he added.