Russia launched missile and drone strikes across multiple Ukrainian regions, resulting in at least five deaths on Tuesday. This follows Moscow’s largest air assault on Ukraine since the start of the conflict.
In Kryvyi Rih, a missile attack obliterated a hotel, killing two people. In Zaporizhzhia, three people were killed in drone strikes. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed retaliation against Russia and urged allies to consider joint air defense measures and provide long-range capabilities, following a major Russian assault on Ukrainian energy infrastructure the previous day.
During Tuesday’s attacks, Ukraine’s air force intercepted five out of ten missiles and 60 out of 81 drones. Ten additional drones, whose whereabouts are unknown, and one that entered Belarusian airspace, were also reported.
The Russian defense ministry claimed a high-precision strike on Ukraine overnight, while Moscow denies targeting civilians. Russian military bloggers suggested the attacks were retaliation for Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, a rare action since World War Two.
In Kyiv, air defenses successfully intercepted all incoming threats, and there were no casualties reported. In Kryvyi Rih, two civilians may still be trapped under hotel rubble, and five others were injured. Zaporizhzhia reported three injuries, while Kharkiv saw four people hurt from a missile strike.
