Russian strikes kill 2 in Ukraine as Kyiv attacks leave 4 dead in occupied region

Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv early on Sunday, triggering fires and wounding at least three civilians, while attacks elsewhere in Ukraine killed at least two people, officials said. In Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Moscow-installed authorities said a Ukrainian drone strike killed four civilians.

Explosions were reported in the Ukrainian capital in the early hours, with falling debris setting a residential tower block near the city centre on fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Debris also ignited fires in buildings, vehicles and parking areas across the city.

Klitschko said three people were injured, with one requiring hospital treatment.

Ukraine had earlier warned of a possible large-scale Russian missile attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said intelligence assessments suggested Moscow was preparing missiles for a major strike and indicated it could occur within 48 hours.

Russia's defence ministry said its latest missile attack on Kyiv targeted facilities linked to drone production.

Elsewhere, a Russian drone strike on Kharkiv killed one person and injured at least six others, including two children, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian glide bomb killed one man and wounded at least six others, Mayor Ivan Fedorov said. The city, located close to the frontline, has witnessed frequent Russian attacks in recent months.

The latest strikes come amid intensified cross-border attacks by both sides. Ukrainian drone operations inside Russia have sought to disrupt fuel supplies and military logistics, while Russia has continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.

In the Russian-occupied city of Horlivka in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin-appointed officials said a Ukrainian drone strike killed four civilians. The city's Russian-installed mayor, Ivan Prikhodko, said Horlivka had been under attack since early Sunday.

Russia's defence ministry said its air defences intercepted 133 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory, the Black Sea and Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

On Friday, a large-scale Russian strike near Kyiv killed at least 10 people and injured around 100 others, underscoring the continued escalation in the more than four-year-old war.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Sunday that Ukraine's position was "stronger than ever since the war began", attributing it in part to Kyiv's recent long-range drone campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure and military supply lines. He stressed that continued support from Ukraine's partners remained critical.

Meanwhile, Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the country's air force shot down another drone that violated Romanian airspace on Sunday, marking the third such incident in as many days.

Dan said an F-16 fighter aircraft intercepted the drone over Romania's territorial waters near the Sulina-Chilia area. A day earlier, Romanian forces downed another drone near the border, while on Friday a Shahed-type drone was shot down near Padina, northeast of Bucharest.

Romania, a NATO member, has reported repeated airspace incursions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.