RUSSIA launched a massive attack on Ukraine in the early hours of this morning, killing at least 11 people.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said: “Last night, Russian troops delivered a massive attack on Ukrainian defence plants with precision weapons.”

The statement added that the attack had been carried out “in response to the Kiev regime’s terrorist acts” and that it had targeted sites, including fuel and transport infrastructure supporting Ukrainian troops and military airfields, in the capital Kiev and the cities of Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as in the Poltava, Khmelnitsky and Sumy regions.

Ukrainian authorities said at least four people had been killed in Kiev and 58 injured.

They added that residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure had suffered damage in eight Kiev districts.

In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, at least seven people were killed and 36 injured when Russian strikes hit the city of Dnipro, according to the emergency services. 

In Kharkiv, at least 14 people were injured and residential homes, garages and cars were damaged.

A two-storey residential building and part of a four-story block of flats were damaged, with people trapped beneath the rubble of the larger building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a renewed assault and urged people to remain cautious and seek shelter during air raid alerts.

In the Podilskyi district, there was partial damage to the upper floors of a nine-storey building, trapping people under the rubble. Rescue operations were still under way in the early hours of the morning, even as the air raid alert remained in force.

Ukrainian officials have been pressing allies for more air defence missiles to counter Russia’s ballistic missile attacks. 

While Kiev’s forces continue to intercept a high percentage of drones, they appear unable to stop Russia’s ballistic missiles.