Russian strikes near Kyiv kill three, including child

Russian missile strikes killed at least three people, including a child, northeast of Kyiv overnight, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, as authorities in the capital warned residents to take shelter from incoming ballistic missiles.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration, said on Telegram that three other people were wounded in the Brovary district, which lies northeast of the Ukrainian capital. Falling debris damaged homes and vehicles and caused a fire in a non-residential building, he said.

Ukraine’s state emergency service said the attack on the village of Pukhivka destroyed a two-story house and two cars and set a warehouse on fire. It shared photos showing a destroyed building covered in flames.

In Kyiv, the military administration said four people were wounded in overnight attacks on the city. Earlier, it had announced an air raid alert “due to the use of ballistic missiles” and instructed residents to take shelter.

An AFP reporter in the capital heard about a dozen explosions as Ukraine’s air force warned of the “threat of ballistic weapon use from the north.” Moscow has significantly increased attacks on Kyiv in recent months, typically firing salvos of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles in short bursts.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko wrote on Telegram that emergency crews were also fighting fires at a building and a fuel tank in the capital, the BBC reported. Ukraine’s state emergency service, known as DSNS, shared photos showing garages, a business and a building on fire in Kyiv and said, “The number of victims is being clarified.”

The strikes came days after attacks across Ukraine killed 21 people, according to the BBC. Recent mediation talks have faltered, leading to an escalation of attacks between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said delays in receiving anti-ballistic systems from partners lead to “horrific casualties and destruction,” adding earlier in the week that stronger interceptor capability “could have saved lives” in recent deadly assaults. He later said the supply of interceptors from allies had been “significantly reduced” this year.

Zelensky arrived in Belgrade for his first visit to the Serbian capital and was due to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to discuss economic ties, security issues and relations with the European Union. Zelensky is seeking broader support for Ukraine, while Vucic has refused to impose sanctions on Russia. Serbia is trying to join the EU and has provided aid to Ukraine and promised to help rebuild the country after the war.

The BBC reported that the latest attacks followed Ukrainian strikes on two oil refineries deep inside Russia and on Moscow-linked vessels in the Black Sea. Zelensky said those strikes were intended to limit oil revenues used by Russia to “finance” its war in Ukraine.