Explosions heard in Kyiv after ballistic missile warning
Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes against each other's civilian infrastructure, resulting in significant casualties and damage. Both nations reported massive drone and missile attacks, with critical facilities and public spaces being targeted.
Why it matters
The escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure marks a dangerous shift in the ongoing conflict, increasing the humanitarian toll.
Overnight strikes killed 12 people in Russia and Ukraine, authorities said, as waves of drones and missiles pummelled civilian infrastructure on both sides.
With fighting at the front at a near standstill and talks frozen, the warring countries have significantly stepped up long-range attacks deep behind each other's lines, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest levels since the war's first months in 2022.
In Russia, swarms of Ukrainian drones killed five people in a residential area of the southern Rostov region, regional governor Yuri Slusar said. Two more people were killed in the Belgorod and Moscow regions.
Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov described the assault as "one of the most massive drone attacks in recent memory". Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted 822 drones across the country overnight.
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