Ukraine-Russia war live: Child among 15 killed as Putin’s forces attack Kyiv and other cities overnightnewsline24

Ukraine’s air force downed or neutralised 31 Russian ⁠missiles and 636 drones in attacks at ⁠the country ​over ⁠the past 24 hours, ⁠it said this morning.

“During this ‌period, the enemy launched two ‌waves of combined ‌attacks on Ukrainian territory, using ⁠ground-based and air-launched missiles, as well as attack drones,” the air force said in ‌a statement ​on Telegram.

Overall, ‌it ⁠detected 703 Russian ⁠aerial targets, ‌it ​added.

At least 15 people have been killed and 90 have been injured in Russian attacks targeting Ukrainian cities overnight, according to foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.

“The attack primarily targeted civilians. At least 4 people were killed in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old child, with over 50 more injured, 8 killed in Odesa, 3 killed and three dozen injured in Dnipro, 1 killed in Zaporizhzhia,” he said.

He said that Russian attacks in the past 24 hours involved almost 700 drones as well as dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles.

“Such attacks cannot be normalised. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account. We urge the international community to take immediate action. All decisions required to increase pressure on the aggressor must be unblocked now,” he said.

Sybiha said delaying sanctions on Moscow or aid packages for Ukraine was “immoral, counterproductive, and dangerous”.

Mr Orban, who enjoyed warm relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin and was a persistent thorn in Ukraine’s side as it sought financial backing for its war effort from a divided Europe, was swept aside by Peter Magyar and his centre-right Tisza party.

What the future holds for the Russia-Hungary relationship is unclear, but in light of Mr Orban’s collapse in public support, Moscow now appears to be distancing itself and playing down the loss of its most influential ally in the European Union.

“We were never friends with Orban,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to The Guardian. Hungary’s official designation is as an “unfriendly country”, he added, explaining that Russia therefore did not congratulate Mr Magyar on his election win.

Russian overnight missile and drone strikes ⁠at Ukraine’s southern city of ⁠Odesa ​damaged ⁠port infrastructure facilities, its ⁠regional ​governor said ⁠this morning.

Facades ‌and windows of at ‌least three ‌high-rise buildings, a dormitory ⁠and nearby buildings were also damaged, Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

The ‌attack ​triggered fires ‌at ⁠certain infrastructure ⁠sites, he added.

Drone ⁠debris fell on ⁠the territory ​of ⁠enterprises ⁠at ​a ⁠port ‌in the city ‌of ‌Tuapse ⁠in Russia’s Krasnodar region, a local official ‌said this morning.

Tuapse is one of Russia’s major southern ports, ⁠serving as an oil product export hub and ​also ⁠handles dry bulk ‌cargo such as coal and fertiliser. It is also home to a major oil ‌refinery of the same name owned ‌by Rosneft, Russia’s biggest oil producer.

Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of the Krasnodar region, said two children aged 5 and ⁠14 were killed in what he called a massive attack by Ukrainian drones.

Unverified images published by Russian media on Telegram showed the night sky illuminated red from a fire in the area. There was no ‌immediate comment from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air force downed or neutralised 31 Russian ⁠missiles and 636 drones in attacks at ⁠the country ​over ⁠the past 24 hours, ⁠it said this morning.

“During this ‌period, the enemy launched two ‌waves of combined ‌attacks on Ukrainian territory, using ⁠ground-based and air-launched missiles, as well as attack drones,” the air force said in ‌a statement ​on Telegram.

Overall, ‌it ⁠detected 703 Russian ⁠aerial targets, ‌it ​added.

Russia unleashed missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities overnight, killing 13 people, including a 12-year-old child, injuring several dozens and badly damaging buildings, officials said this morning.

In Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people, including the child, had died. Seven people were killed in Odesa and in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where Russian attacks set residential buildings ablaze, the regional governor said ⁠two people were killed.

Klitschko said 45 city ​residents ⁠were injured. The city came under another attack early on Thursday, he said, adding that a drone, flying very ⁠low, slammed into an 18-storey building.

Ukraine’s emergency services put the death ​toll ⁠in Kyiv at five.

Photos posted ‌online showed fires burning out of control and smoke billowing skyward.

Klitschko said rescue teams had rescued a mother and child from a building ‌in a central district where the ‌ground floor was badly damaged. He also said missile debris had hit the sixth floor of an apartment building in the central Podil district.

Klitschko said a large fire ⁠had broken out in a building in a district in the north of the capital and four emergency medical workers were injured, while debris had fallen in several locations.

Britain has announced a major new package of support for Ukraine, worth millions of pounds, as senior ministers engage in a series of high-level international meetings.

In Washington DC, chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed a £752m payment to Ukraine, ahead of a meeting with Yulia Svyrydenko, the Ukrainian prime minister.

The payment, part of a larger £3.36bn loan, is earmarked to procure essential military equipment, including long-range missiles, advanced air defence systems, and drones.

Ms Reeves said: “This funding will help deliver the military equipment Ukraine needs as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked war.