Russian air raids on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens by early morning on Tuesday, authorities said.

Four people were killed and 16 injured in a Russian attack on Dnipro, in Ukraine’s east, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha. All those injured were taken to hospital, he said, posting pictures of heavily damaged residential buildings, burnt-out vehicles and a destroyed children’s playground.

In Kyiv, at least one person was killed and 29 others were injured across the capital, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration.

A suspected missile strike on a 24-storey apartment building triggered a collapse, with people likely trapped under the rubble, said Vitali Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor. Other buildings including a nine-storey apartment block caught fire, he said.

“In the Obolon district, cars are burning after being struck by falling missile debris. There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten,” Klitschko said. Thousands of residents of Kyiv were taking refuge underground in metro stations and other shelters, witnesses said, after air raid warnings that covered much of the country early on Tuesday.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday had reiterated warnings of a potentially major assault and urged residents to pay special attention to air raid alerts. “Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible, they have prepared one,” said Ukraine’s president in his nightly video address.

“Our defenders are ready 24/7 to the fullest extent possible with the supplies currently available.”

In Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region, 10 people, including a child, were injured in drone and missile attacks, said the mayor, Ihor Terekhov.

Russia last week warned that it intended to launch “systematic strikes” on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, and urged foreigners to leave. It came after a drone strike on a dormitory in Ukraine’s Russian-held Luhansk region, which killed 21 people. Ukraine denied carrying out the attack.

With Reuters