Russia launches large missile‑drone raid, 22 dead

Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war against Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than 100 others across the country. The massive barrage, which Ukrainian officials said included 73 missiles and 656 attack drones, inflicted significant civilian casualties and damaged residential buildings, energy facilities, and other infrastructure in multiple cities.

The capital, Kyiv, was struck for the third time in less than three weeks, with six people reported killed and dozens injured. The southeastern city of Dnipro suffered the heaviest toll, with local authorities reporting 16 fatalities, including two children. A firefighter was killed in what officials described as a "double-tap" attack, where a second strike targets first responders. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated the assault targeted Ukrainian defense, military, fuel, and transport facilities, and involved high-precision weapons including hypersonic missiles. It framed the attack as retaliation for a strike on a college dormitory in the Russian-occupied town of Starobilsk in the Luhansk region.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 40 of the missiles and 602 of...