‘Massive’ Russian missile and drone barrage pounds Ukraine capital

Russian missile and drone strikes rocked Kyiv early Thursday, killing two people and wounding more than a dozen, after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive attack”.

Russia has routinely launched waves of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, during its more than four-year invasion, which has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

The attack came after Ukraine’s air force warned that ballistic missiles were headed towards the capital and followed Zelensky cutting short a visit to Dublin Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike.

Agence France-Presse journalists in central and eastern Kyiv heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents – some with children and pets – rushing into metro stations to take shelter.

“Kyiv is under attack from ballistic missiles and UAVs,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that blasts could be heard across the city.

The strikes killed two and wounded 11, city authorities said, as explosions echoed across the capital.