Kyiv, Jun 10 (AP) Russia launched a series of drone and missile strikes on two Ukrainian cities early Tuesday, resulting in two fatalities and injuring at least thirteen individuals, according to Ukrainian officials.
In an online statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to the assault as "one of the biggest" in the ongoing war that has stretched over three years, noting that Russian forces deployed over 315 drones, mostly Shaheds, and seven missiles against Ukraine overnight.
"Russian missile and Shahed strikes resonate more than the efforts of the United States and others globally to compel Russia into peace," Zelenskyy stated, urging for "concrete action" from the United States and Europe in response to the aggression.
The attack caused damage to a maternity hospital and residential buildings in the center of Odesa, a southern port city, as reported by regional head Oleh Kiper. The regional prosecutor's office confirmed the death of two people and injury to nine in the city.
In Kyiv, four individuals were injured, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Reporters from the Associated Press heard explosions and drone activity across the city for hours.
The latest attacks followed closely after Moscow executed nearly 500 drone strikes on Ukraine in the war's largest overnight drone offensive.
Anticipation had been building among Ukrainian and Western officials for a Russian response following Ukraine's bold June 1 drone assault on distant Russian air bases.
Smoke plumes were visible across Kyiv as air defense forces engaged drones and missiles Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, Kyiv's residents sought refuge and slept in metro stations during the prolonged assault. Nina Nosivets, 32, along with her 8-month-old son Levko, took shelter there.
"I try to block it from my mind, staying silent like a mouse, waiting for the attacks to end. I try to distract my child, as it's probably the hardest for him," she expressed.
Krystyna Semak, a 37-year-old Kyiv resident, recounted fleeing to the metro at 2 am with her rug due to the terrifying explosions.
Russia continues to unleash record numbers of drones and missiles on Ukraine as both nations engage in prisoner swaps, the only evident result of recent peace discussions in Istanbul. A ceasefire, long desired by Kyiv, remains out of reach.
Fires erupted in at least four districts in Kyiv after debris from destroyed drones fell on residential and warehouse rooftops, reported the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Vasyl Pesenko, 25, stood amidst the wrecked remains of his kitchen following the attack.
"I was in bed, ever hopeful that these Shaheds (drones) would bypass me. I heard one that hit the house," he recounted. “I thought it might fly away, but it came closer and closer until everything exploded.”
The Russian offensive ignited 19 fires across Ukraine, wrote Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko on Telegram. He emphasized, “Russia must answer for every crime it commits. Without justice, there can be no security. For Ukraine. And for the world."
On Tuesday morning, the Russian Defence Ministry reported the downing of 102 Ukrainian drones over Russian territories and Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014.
The drones were intercepted over border regions with Ukraine and deeper into Russia, including the central Moscow and Leningrad regions, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry.
Due to the drone attack, flight operations were temporarily restricted at several airports in Russia, including all four airports in Moscow and the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, the nation's second-largest city. (AP) GRS GRS
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