Russia pummeled Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles early Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens of others after it had warned in recent days that it was preparing a major air attack against the country.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones between Monday night and Tuesday morning. In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said six people were killed and at least 66 were wounded, including two children.
In the industrial city of Dnipro, further south, 15 people were killed, local authorities said. Fifteen people were also wounded in the eastern city of Kharkiv, which lies near the Russian border.
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that it had carried out a major attack on Ukraine, claiming it targeted defense production plants and transportation infrastructure used by Ukraine's military.
"In response to terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime, the Russian Armed Forces launched a large-scale strike using long-range, high-precision air, land and sea-based weapons — including hypersonic aero-ballistic missiles and attack drones," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
