Kyiv —
Russia has launched missiles toward Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian Air Force said early Thursday local time, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow was preparing a “massive attack.”
At least one person was killed in the attack on the capital, according to the city’s military administration.
Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih were also under attack, the air force said, in addition to ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv.
Ukraine’s air force warned “several waves” of cruise missiles had been launched from “strategic aircraft” in an alert to residents early Thursday local time. It also said launches of cruise missiles had been detected from the Novorossiysk area in southern Russia.
Graphic video of the aftermath of an attack in Radushne village near Kryvyi Rih showed bodies strewn amid the rubble of a shattered building, with fires still burning.
Two unseen women could be heard speaking. “We’ve pulled one child out. There are still some lying over there,” one said.
“There are children here. There are many children,” the other said.
After an initial wave of attacks, the air force said “more ballistic missiles” were flying toward Kyiv.
“The threat of further attacks remains,” Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, urging people to stay in shelters.
Videos posted on social media showed families sheltering in crowded Kyiv metro stations, some bedding down on the floor beneath blankets or inside small tents.
Poland proactively scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace from the strikes, the country’s armed forces said on X, according to Reuters news agency.
The attack comes just hours after Zelensky said he had received a report from his air force that Russia was preparing a “massive attack” on all regions of the country.
“There is a high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight,” Zelensky said.
A day earlier, Zelensky met US President Donald Trump at the White House and asked him to provide additional air defense systems to help repel Russian attacks.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.
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