The China Mail - Four killed in 'heinous' Russian attack on Ukraine: Zelensky

Moscow has fired record missile and drone barrages in recent months, hitting energy and rail infrastructure, as well as residential areas, knocking out power for tens of thousands across the country as temperatures plunge.

It was one of the largest attacks on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, with buildings hit in most of the capital's districts.

AFP journalists in the capital saw multi-storey residential buildings with dozens of windows and balconies blown out, their facades charred and hanging off as rescuers sifted through the damage.

"The key targets for Russia last night were residential areas in Kyiv and energy facilities," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, accusing Russia of a "heinous" attack.

"This was a deliberately calculated attack aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure," he also said.

The strikes killed four people from the same building, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.

A hospital, shops and offices were also damaged, and around 30 people were wounded, officials said.

Debris from an Iskander missile hit the Azerbaijani embassy, Zelensky added.

- Market strike -

Overnight, AFP journalists saw Ukraine using tracer bullets and missile defence systems, and incandescent debris falling large areas above the capital.

The explosions lit up the night sky in flashes of bright orange.

Ukraine's air force said it downed 405 out of 430 drones, and 14 out of 19 missiles launched by Russia.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP the city's air defences worked particularly well to stop the attack from wreaking even more damage.

There were previously "certain issues with air defence" but this time "the air defence systems worked well" they told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official also said the attack showed how "the Russians have started using significantly more ballistic missiles."

Ballistic missiles are particularly difficult to intercept given their speed and trajectory.

"They combine ballistic and aeroballistic missiles with waves of drones. It is not easy to shoot down," they added.

Russia's defence ministry said in a statement its forces had carried out a "massive strike" of drones and hypersonic missiles against Ukrainian military and energy sites.

Hours after the attack on Kyiv, a Russian drone struck a market in the southern city of Chornomorsk, killing two and wounding seven, Odesa region governor Oleg Kiper said.

He published images showing a blown-out vehicle still on fire, with debris, tires and mangled streets signs strewn in every direction.

- Western pressure -

The attack comes with Moscow's troops grinding forward on the eastern front and continuing to reject calls to halt the invasion.

G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada this week urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and voiced "unwavering" support for the country's territorial integrity.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine give up swathes more territory in the east if it wants an end to the war -- calls rejected by Kyiv as unacceptable ultimatums tantamount to capitulation.

Russian forces have been grinding across eastern Ukraine for months, trying to take control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Hundreds of Russian troops have entered the eastern city of Pokrovsk, Ukraine has conceded, and could be on the brink of capturing it, in what would be Moscow's most significant territorial gain in almost two years.

Experts say Russia's latest strikes on energy infrastructure are putting Ukraine at risk of heating outages ahead of the winter months.

Ukraine has in turn stepped up its own retaliatory attacks on Russian oil and gas facilities deep behind the front, seeking to cut off Moscow's energy export revenues.

Zelensky said Ukraine had overnight used long-range Neptune missiles against targets on Russian territory.

Russian forces downed more than 200 Ukrainian drones overnight into Friday, Moscow's defence ministry said, including 66 over the region of Krasnodar and 45 over Saratov, both in the south.

Russian officials reported a fire at a large Black Sea oil refinery and a hit on a civilian vessel that wounded three.

U.Feng--ThChM