KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles and Shahed-type drones at six regions across Ukraine on Wednesday morning, authorities reported, killing at least five civilians and injuring 25 others, including a pregnant woman.
The attacks targeted at least three major cities, including the capital Kyiv, where the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, was discussing military aid and financial support for Ukraine. He said he started his day in an air raid shelter, calling it part of Ukraine‘s “daily reality” after almost two years of war.
The West’s help is desperately needed by Ukraine, which is struggling with ammunition and personnel shortages. Some long-term foreign funding is also in doubt as the latest effort to clinch a deal on Ukraine aid in the U.S. Senate collapsed Tuesday.
Though the roughly 1,500-kilometer (900-mile) front line has barely budged in recent months, the Kremlin’s forces have the upper hand in stocks of missiles and artillery ammunition used for long-range strikes. Russia has repeatedly used missiles to blast civilian targets during the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last month that air defense and electronic warfare systems that can stop drones are Kyiv‘s top priorities.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces said they intercepted 44 drones and missiles out of 64 that were launched in the morning attack.
The barrage killed four people in Kyiv, the State Emergency Service said.
The attack also killed a man in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine, where some 20 residential buildings and public infrastructure were damaged, regional Gov. Vitalii Kim said.
Nineteen people were injured in Kyiv, according to the Interior Ministry, including a pregnant woman.
Apartment buildings caught fire in multiple Kyiv districts, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Two power lines damaged during the attack left some residents on Kyiv’s east bank without power.
In Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, a 52-year-old woman was slightly injured in an S-300 missile attack, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.
Missiles also hit as far away as the Lviv region of western Ukraine, where a fire broke out, officials said.