KYIV, June 10 (AP) — Russia launched a series of drone and missile attacks on two Ukrainian cities early Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two people and injuring at least thirteen others, according to Ukrainian officials.
A maternity hospital and residential buildings in the southern port city of Odesa were hit, causing two fatalities and nine injuries, as reported by regional Governor Oleh Kiper and the regional prosecutor's office.
In Kyiv, four more people were wounded in the assault, with Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirming the incidents. Journalists from the Associated Press witnessed explosions and drones buzzing above the city for hours.
These new assaults occurred just hours after Moscow carried out its largest overnight drone attack in the three-year conflict, sending almost 500 drones into Ukraine. This escalation is viewed as a possible retaliation for Ukraine’s daring June 1 drone attack on Russian air bases located far from the conflict zone.
As air defense forces in Kyiv worked to intercept and destroy incoming drones and missiles, smoke filled the skies. Residents took refuge in metro stations during the extensive attack, including Nina Nosivets, 32, and her 8-month-old son Levko.
"I just try not to think about all this, silently curled up like a mouse, waiting until it all passes," Nosivets explained. "Distracting the child is probably the hardest thing.
Kyiv resident Krystyna Semak, 37, was also alarmed by the explosions and sought shelter in the metro at 2 a.m. with her belongings.
The ongoing conflict has seen Russia utilize a record number of drones and missiles against Ukraine, even as both nations continue to exchange prisoners of war during talks in Istanbul. However, a ceasefire, a priority for Kyiv, remains out of reach.
In Kyiv, fires erupted in at least four districts after fragments from intercepted drones landed on residential buildings and warehouses, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
Vasyl Pesenko, 25, experienced the impact firsthand as his kitchen sustained damage in the attack.
"I was lying in bed, hoping these Shaheds (drones) would bypass me, but I heard one hitting the house," Pesenko recounted. "I thought it would pass, but it came closer until everything blew apart."
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