The Albany Gazette - Russian strikes kill eight in Ukraine, officials say

Missiles also hit the capital Kyiv, wounding 12 people including two children, according to the city's mayor.

AFP journalists in Kyiv heard two series of explosions in the early hours, with an air alert siren sounding minutes after the first blast.

Moscow has been firing missiles and drones at Kyiv almost daily since launching its invasion in February 2022.

But a recent spate of deadly attacks using dozens of ultra-fast ballistic missiles has put Ukraine's air-defence system under strain.

Russia launched more than 120 drones and 12 missiles during the night, half of them ballistic, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X.

"Civilian infrastructure was hit even before the air raid alert was issued," he added.

He posted videos of emergency teams working in the smoke and rubble of ruined buildings.

Apartment buildings, offices and a theological school were damaged in Kyiv, while recovery efforts were under way in other regions, he added.

A Russian "guided aerial bomb" strike on the northern city of Sumy killed five people, including a young girl, the city's mayor Artem Kobzar said.

One other person died in a Russian attack on the eastern town of Sloviansk, while a Russian missile strike on the southern city of Odesa killed two, authorities said.

- Air-defence call -

Zelensky said air defences "managed to shoot down most of the targets -- but not the ballistic ones".

He repeated his plea for allies to send more military aid to help it fight off the Russian invasion, now well into its fifth year.

He urged the United States to swiftly follow through on its pledge to license Ukraine to make Patriot air-defence systems.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would allow Ukraine to manufacture the missiles.

Zelensky said on Thursday that technical details still needed to be agreed.

Saturday's strike on Kyiv marked the second time in less than a week that missiles hit before an air alert was issued.

Sergiy Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, said that impacts before the sirens could indicate Russia had used S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to carry out strikes on the ground.

"During ground attacks, these missiles are more difficult to detect by radar," he wrote on Telegram.

"There is no military logic to such attacks. It is simply terrorism for the sake of terrorism."

Russia, which denies targeting civilians, said it had struck "military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and seaport infrastructure in Odesa".

On Friday, Ukrainian drones hit oil refineries in southern Russia, as Kyiv targeted its foe's energy infrastructure.

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(K.Lee--TAG)