VLADIMIR Putin has bombarded Kyiv with ballistic missile and drone strikes, killing at least two people and forcing Nato planes to scramble.
The brutal overnight onslaught came as Donald Trump‘s peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the Ukrainian capital after three days of talks with Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Putin’s pounding of Kyiv has cast doubt on Trump’s startling claims that the Russian dictator was “ready to negotiate” and “discuss” avenues to restart peace talks.
Drones and fearsome Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers targeted civilians in the latest barrage, striking the upper floors of a 26-story tower block.
At least ten residents had to be rescued after they were trapped in a five-story that was engulfed in flames.
A major fire was also ignited at a multinational food packaging and processing factory in the city’s north following Iskander-M/Kn-23 ballistic missile strikes.
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Ukrainian forces shot down and suppressed two ballistic missiles, 31 cruise missiles and 142 drones.
The Kremlin claimed today that it hit stores of cruise missiles and drones in Kyiv and Kyiv region, as well as Chornomorsk Port.
Zelensky said: “The attack was complex, and the Russians deliberately planned it to cause as much damage as possible to people’s lives, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and Shahed drones.
“There is significant damage to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure in the capital.”
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Poland meanwhile scrambled fighter jets in a “preventive” measure due to the powerful strikes.
“Due to the activity of long-range Russian air forces conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory, military aviation has begun operating in Polish airspace,” said Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces.
“Ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness.”
Nato has been forced by Russian actions to scramble warplanes 700 times in two years.
In retaliation, Ukraine blitzed a strategic oil refinery in Saratov region, igniting it in flames, near the Engels-2 base of Tu-95Ms bombers used to attack Kyiv.
Ten people were injured, including three children, in the attack on Saratov, said regional governor Roman Busargin.
An electrical station was also destroyed in a spectacular explosion by a Ukrainian drone in Russian-occupied Melitopol.
Russia said it had “intercepted and destroyed” almost 400 Ukrainian attack drones over its territory and occupied Crimea.
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