Russian drone strike hits Ukraine's Kyiv; 9 killed, over 60 injured

The Kyiv City Military Administration said on its Telegram channel that Russia struck Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian officials described the large-scale strike as a coordinated attack involving both drones and ballistic missiles.

Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, reported multiple fires across residential areas, ignited by missile impacts.

Loud blasts had sounded over the Ukrainian capital at around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT) after air raid sirens rang out across Kyiv, warning residents to head to shelters, AFP journalists on the ground heard.

Through the night, rescue workers were poring through the rubble of destroyed buildings and tackling blazes in apartment blocks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is yet to respond to Zelensky's offer to completely halt air attacks on civilian targets, and last month rejected a US-Ukrainian call for a full and unconditional ceasefire.

"Putin shows only a desire to kill," Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, said as Russia unleashed its attack overnight.