Massive Russian attack kills 18 people across Ukraine, officials say, as Moscow escalates fighting

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine using 73 missiles and 656 drones, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding 131, according to Ukrainian officials. The deadliest strikes hit Dnipro, where 12 people died, including a 3-year-old child, a woman, and her 8-year-old son, while six fatalities were reported in Kyiv. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed or suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones, but the assault stretched past dawn, leaving residents on edge after Russia’s prior warnings. The attack underscored Ukraine’s vulnerability to ballistic missiles due to a shortage of U.S.-made air defense systems, partly linked to depleted U.S. stocks from the Iran war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged more Western support, describing the strikes as a direct message from Russia: if Ukraine lacks protection, missile attacks will continue. Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified aerial campaigns to shift domestic narratives amid stagnation in the 4-year-old war. Emergency crews in Dnipro recovered bodies from wrecked apartment buildings, while Kyiv’s emergency services reported 79 wounded. Residents like Iryna Salikova, who sheltered in a bathtub with her daughter, described shattered windows and debris but no injuries. Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov declared a day of mourning for the 12 dead, though another drone strike later damaged a residential building. Russia’s offensive targeted Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia, with Ukrainian forces intercepting most drones but struggling against missiles. Western analysts note Ukrainian drones have disrupted Russian supply lines, complicating Moscow’s war efforts. The escalation follows Putin’s push to demonstrate progress in a conflict that has deviated from his initial objectives since the February 2022 invasion.