Russia launched another widespread drone and missile attack on Ukraine early Saturday, killing at least three people in the capitol Kyiv as fighting continued to ramp up before any peace talks initiated by President-elect Donald Trump begin.
At least 39 Iranian Shahed drones, other simulator drones and four ballistic missiles were launched at Kyiv before dawn, many of which were shot down by Ukraine’s Air Force, officials announced on social media.
One of the missiles was shot down at a low altitude, launching debris that caused the fatalities and widespread damage, according to local outlets.
A 41-year-old woman and two men, 25 and 43, were killed, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Several drones disappeared from radar without causing damage, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, likely indicating they were decoys intended to overwhelm air defense systems.
Residential buildings, shops, a McDonald’s, a metro station and civilian infrastructure was damaged, including a water main in the city center, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Facebook.
Injuries and destruction were also reported across southern Ukraine, including in the city of Kherson and the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia was also hit, Zelensky said, leaving 10 people wounded and others possibly buried beneath wreckage.
Priests and worshippers dug through rubble of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, which was blasted in the overnight shelling, according to reports.
The group rescued several icons from the damaged house of worship.
“All those who assist the Russian state in this war must face pressure as impactful as these strikes,” Zelensky said in the post.
“We can achieve this only through unity with the entire world.”
Zaporizhzhia has come under renewed attacks in recent weeks, including with a strike earlier this month that killed 13 people and injured over 100 others, officials said.
Ukraine returned fire overnight, blasting two oil depots in Russia, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence, continuing its focus on facilities deep inside Russia.
Russian authorities did not immediately comment on any damages.
February will mark three years since the invasion of Ukraine.
Trump plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Inauguration Day, and has vowed peacefully resolve the war, which he has called a “bloody mess.”
With Post wires
