At least 22 dead after Russia strikes Ukrainian cities overnight

At least 22 people have died in overnight Russian strikes against two of Ukraine’s major cities, targeting civilian and energy infrastructure.

Other parts of the country were also hit.

It is one of the largest attacks by Russian forces in months, and the Ukrainian president is warning another major attack may be coming Tuesday night.

Light fills the night sky over Kyiv as some of the hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles launched at the Ukrainian capital find their targets.

The sounds of bombs exploding hang in the air as people from all walks of life seek shelter in the subway system.

“I only dream that this war will end soon, but I’ve lost all hope,” Valeriia Nafechinko, a 32-year-old Kyiv resident and mother, said.

Above ground, firefighters put out the flames burning through dozens of buildings and vehicles, with the work continuing past dawn. The sunshine revealed the extent of the damage as people stood in shock where piles of rubble hid remnants of their lives, including Olha Mudra and her six-year-old daughter.

“We crouched with my daughter and tried to cover her, but a stone or debris from the building hit her and tore her jacket,” Mudra said. “She is saying her back hurts. Everything was covered with smoke. We couldn’t understand what was happening — some kind of apocalypse.”

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Yevhen, a resident of the building, also witnessed the destruction.

“I saw a burning piece [of missile] flying, I wanted to see where it was going to hit,” Yevhen said. “And then there was a loud bang, an explosion. I couldn’t see anything; it was darkness in my eyes, and I could hear nothing.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the main Russian strike was on Kyiv, with dozens of apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure damaged.

To the southeast, rescuers saved at least one person in the city of Dnipro, where regional officials say two children, including an eight-year-old boy, were among the 16 people killed.

“The first strike shattered the glass, and during the second attack, my daughter was killed,” 70-year-old Dnipro resident Tetiana said. “A piece of shrapnel struck her.”

Like in Kyiv, the Russian bombs hit apartment buildings. However, Russia claims it is targeting Ukrainian military sites.

The Kremlin says the strikes are in response to its claim Ukraine bombed a student dormitory in the eastern region occupied by Russian forces.

Ukraine says it struck a Russian military unit.

A spokesperson for Moscow says to expect more of these strikes against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president is asking for more interceptor missiles from the United States, which are in shorter supply due to the American-Israeli war against Iran.

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