Kyiv Russian strikes kill at least two, Zelensky says

Russian attacks killed at least two people in Kyiv on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, after authorities issued a missile alert and the capital was hit by multiple explosions.

AFP journalists heard more than 20 blasts after Ukraine’s Air Force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were heading toward Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that the capital was under ballistic missile attack and urged residents to stay in shelters.

Zelensky said the main targets were Kyiv and civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy facilities and logistics. Klitschko said six people were wounded.

In Odesa, officials reported damage to a medical facility, an educational institution and residential buildings.

The attacks came a day after Russian strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine and sparked fires in Kyiv. Zelensky, who was in the United States seeking stronger sanctions against Moscow, called for missile interceptors and tougher pressure on Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that Russia was “not going to have a pause” in its war. Zelensky told the UN General Assembly that Ukraine would strike Russian heating and energy facilities this winter.