Russia pounded Ukraine with a barrage of missile and drone attacks across the country overnight, wounding at least 25 people, in advance of the latest high-level meeting between Kyiv and Washington aimed at ending the war, now in its fifth year.
At least 16 people were injured in attacks in the early hours of Thursday in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the surrounding region, emergency services said, while in southeastern Zaporizhia, at least seven people were injured in attacks that damaged 19 apartment buildings, four homes and several other buildings.Two people were also injured in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, officials said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the latest attacks on the capital in the early hours of Thursday caused damage to a nine-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district and fires in a home and garages elsewhere in the city.
The strikes on the capital prompted the activation of air defence systems to counter the attack, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, said, advising residents to remain in shelters until the assault was over. No casualties were reported in the capital.
Ukraine has faced regular overnight barrages as Russia targets cities with missiles and drones in harsh winter conditions in recent months, also targeting civilian energy infrastructure, even amid an ongoing push by Washington to try to negotiate an end to Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
US, Ukrainian delegations to meet
The strikes came before a scheduled meeting in the Swiss city of Geneva between Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, being held in advance of a full session of talks involving Moscow, Kyiv and Washington expected in early March.
