Kyiv under attack: Nine dead, over 70 injured in overnight Russian bombardment UPDATED / PHOTO

At least nine people have been killed and more than 70 injured in Kyiv after Russia carried out one of the most devastating air attacks against Ukraine for months, with Kharkiv and other cities also targeted.

Waves of drones, as well as ballistic and guided missiles, struck the Ukrainian capital early on April 24, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

There were explosions for much of the night, beginning at about 1am local time, and the rattle of anti-aircraft fire as Ukrainian defences tried to shoot the missiles down.

People walk past a block of flats hit by a Russian strike on the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said rescuers were pulling survivors from under the rubble. The injured included six children and a pregnant woman. A house, cars, and other buildings were set on fire, with extensive damage caused by falling debris in several districts, he said.

Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said a big rescue operation was under way in the Svyatoshinsky district of Kyiv, involving dogs and engineering teams. “Mobile phones can be heard ringing under the ruins. The search will continue until everybody is got out. We have information about two children who cannot be found at the scene of the incident,” he added.

On the evening of April 23, drones could be seen buzzing in the sky above the north-east Kharkiv region and flying over a forest. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, was hit by seven missiles and 12 kamikaze drones in strikes throughout the night as black smoke plumed overhead.

09:55 

Russian forces carried out a large-scale combined attack on the Ukrainian capital during the night of April 23 to 24, resulting in multiple casualties and significant infrastructure damage, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.

He confirmed that at least two people were killed and 54 were injured in the strike. "Thirty-eight of the injured, including six children, were hospitalised. The others received medical assistance at the scene," Klitschko said in a statement, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

The assault caused widespread destruction across several districts. In Bucha, three five-story residential buildings were damaged. Emergency services extinguished a fire that had broken out on the roof of one of the buildings. Additionally, four shops, eight vehicles, and a public transportation stop were damaged in the area.

In the Vyshhorod district, a warehouse and three vehicles were damaged as a result of the attack. Fires also broke out in a forested area and in open terrain but were brought under control by emergency crews.

Meanwhile, in the Brovary district, firefighters responded to and extinguished a blaze in a field caused by the strike.

By Khagan Isayev