- Hugo Pacheca in Kiev & Antoinette Radford in London
- BBC News
image source, State emergency service of Ukraine
Russia launched airstrikes against cities across Ukraine, including in Kiev, killing at least 12 people.
Missiles hit residential buildings in the central city of Oman, killing 10 people, officials said.
A woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed in the city of Dnipro, according to the local mayor.
Explosions also occurred in the cities of Kremenchuk and Poltava, Interfax news agency reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 10 residential buildings had been damaged in Oman and said the attacks showed the need for more international action against Russia.
“Evil can be stopped by weapons – our defenders are doing it. Sanctions can be stopped – global sanctions must be increased.” He said in a tweet.
The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration said it was Russia’s first missile attack on the capital in 51 days.
There were no immediate reports of civilian casualties in the capital.
Twenty-one of the 23 missiles and two attack drones were shot down by Ukraine’s air defense system, officials said in a post on news service Telegram.
image source, Social media
The video shows the immediate damage of the strike
A video posted on Telegram by Ukraine’s State Border Service shows a badly damaged apartment building in Oman after the strikes.
The attacks come as Ukrainian forces are believed to be preparing for a military offensive with new equipment, including tanks provided by Western allies.
Russia struggled to advance in the winter offensive, including a 10-month battle for control of the strategically important city of Bagmut.
It was not immediately clear what Russia was targeting in Friday’s attacks, but it has previously attacked civilian infrastructure.
