Russian missile attack on Kyiv kills at least six
Russia launched a heavy overnight missile bombardment on Kyiv and its region, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, as President Zelenskyy faces a fresh corruption scandal within his administration.
Russia unleashed a heavy missile bombardment on Ukraine's capital and the surrounding region overnight into Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, authorities reported.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said missiles struck residential districts and warehouses. City military authorities reported damage to apartment buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution, with five people killed and 23 wounded in the capital. In the Brovary district of the wider Kyiv region, one man was killed and another wounded when an industrial facility was hit, according to regional governor Tymur Tkachenko, who said emergency crews were working to put out the resulting fire. Ukraine's air force had earlier warned that Russian Kalibr cruise missiles were flying over the village of Kagarlyk toward the capital.
The previous day, a Russian drone struck a minibus in Kherson, killing four people, while in Zhytomyr a Banderol drone-missile hit police headquarters, killing two officers and wounding at least 20 more.
While Kyiv endures near-nightly bombardment, Ukraine has stepped up its own strikes deep into Russian territory in recent months, seeking to pressure Moscow toward negotiations after nearly four and a half years of war. Last Friday, drone strikes on vehicles in Russia's Belgorod and Bryansk border regions killed two people, Russian officials said.
Corruption scandal deepens
The Kyiv attack coincided with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confronting a renewed corruption scandal reaching into his administration's top ranks. Zelenskyy dismissed senior aide Iryna Mudra by decree after Ukrainian media reported that her home had been searched by investigators looking into an alleged money-laundering scheme. Anti-corruption agency Nabu said it is investigating a criminal conspiracy involving high-ranking officials from the presidential office, part of a broader corruption scandal that has run for months, seeing officials dismissed, arrested or fleeing the country.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to grapple with fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian long-range strikes that have burned warehouses belonging to online retailer Wildberries and damaged oil refineries and depots. Long queues have formed at petrol stations, with operators capping the amount of fuel sold per customer. Moscow has confirmed it is importing refined petroleum products, including from India and East Asia, to stabilise supply.
