Zelenskyy: 18 killed in Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities

(Patria) - Russian missiles hit Ukraine's two largest cities, killing eighteen people, injuring more than 130 and damaging homes and infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The eastern city of Kharkiv suffered three waves of attacks. There were strikes on Kyiv and central Ukraine and the southern Kherson region, Reuters reported.

Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Russia launched nearly 40 missiles of various types in "another combined attack to try to bypass our air defense system".

More than 200 locations were hit, including 139 apartments, with many deaths in "ordinary high-rise buildings. Ordinary people lived there," he said.

The mayor of Kharkiv and the governor of the Kharkiv region said eight people were killed in the city.

Ukraine's emergency service posted a video online of teams
inspecting a destroyed residential building. Police said search operations were suspended before midnight due to the risk of debris falling on rescue teams.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov said more than 100 high-rise buildings were damaged in the first two attacks. He said there were three strikes on a residential building and other infrastructure in the evening, with seven people injured.

Ukraine's General Staff said the country's armed forces destroyed 22 out of 44 missiles of various types. Nearly 20 were shot down over Kyiv, the city's military administration said. In Kyiv, emergency services said 22 people, including four children, were injured in at least three districts. Emergency services said residential buildings,

medical and educational institutions were damaged in Kyiv. Some of the damage occurred next to United Nations offices, said resident coordinator Denise Brown.

The Kremlin, asked to comment on the strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv, said the Russian military does not target civilians.

Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian aircraft targeted his region throughout the day. Officials said two people were killed. One person was killed in the city of Pavlohrad in the southeast of the country, the regional governor said.

The attacks damaged a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, and thousands were left without electricity after infrastructure was hit.