Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, killing at least four
Russia
attacked Ukraine
with ballistic missiles and drones during a night-time attack early on Friday, killing at least four people in Kyiv, officials said.
Multiple explosions were heard in the capital, and falling debris triggered fires across several districts as air defence systems tried to intercept incoming targets, said the Kyiv city administration's head, Tymur Tkachenko.
Authorities reported damage in several districts and rescue workers were responding at multiple locations. Officials urged residents to seek shelter.
Russian air defences shot down 174 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday.
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The latest attacks on Ukraine came after Russia accused Kyiv of state terrorism over its drone operation striking Russian heavy bomber planes at airbases in Siberia and the far north at the weekend and said it would respond as and when its military saw fit.
A Shahed drone exploded near an apartment building in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, shattering windows and doors, the regional military administration chief said.
Explosions from ballistic missiles were also recorded on the city's outskirts, Dmytro Bryzhynskyi added.
US president
Donald Trump
said that during a call with
Vladimir Putin
on Wednesday he urged the Russian president to refrain from retaliating but fully expected Moscow to strike back over Ukraine's assault on Russian heavy bomber planes.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Mr Trump in an Oval Office meeting to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.
Elsewhere, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to 'unconditionally support' Russia in the war at a meeting with top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu, Pyongyang state media reported. – Guardian
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