KYIP, Ukraine — Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as Shahed-type drones, into six regions of Ukraine on Wednesday morning, killing at least five civilians and wounding nearly 40 others, including a pregnant woman, official reports said.
The attack hit at least three major cities, including the capital Kyiv. Senior EU diplomat Josep Borrell is in Kyiv discussing military assistance and financial support for Ukraine. He said he started the day in a bomb shelter, calling it part of the "everyday reality" of Ukraine after nearly two years of war.
Ukraine is in dire need of Western help, and at the moment the country is struggling with a shortage of ammunition and personnel. With the latest U.S. Senate effort to reach an agreement on aid to Ukraine failed Tuesday, some long-term foreign funding is also in question.
Although the 1,500-kilometer (900-mile) front has seen little change in recent months, the Kremlin's forces have gained the upper hand in the stockpile of missile and artillery ammunition for long-range strikes. Russia has repeatedly used missiles to bombard civilian targets during the conflict.
Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that air defense and electronic warfare systems capable of stopping drones were Kyiv's top priority.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine said they intercepted 44 of the 64 drones and missiles launched in the morning attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it used long-range precision** and drones to target Ukrainian factories that make maritime drones, coastal defense missile systems, rockets and **objects. It claims that all targets were hit.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service said four people were killed in Kyiv as a result of the shelling. This is the first bombardment of Kyiv in two weeks.
Vitalii Kim, the governor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, said the attack also killed a man. About 20 residential buildings and public infrastructure were damaged in the town.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said 35 people were injured, including a pregnant woman.
Klychko said apartment buildings in several regions of Kyiv**. Two power lines were damaged in the attack, leaving about 20,000 homes on the east bank of Kyiv without power.
This is the first severe power outage in the capital this winter due to Russian airstrikes. Last winter, Moscow forces attacked Kyiv's power infrastructure, apparently to prevent residents from heating, lighting and running water.
In Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, a 52-year-old woman was slightly injured in an S-300 missile strike, said local governor Oleh Syniehubov.
* The missile also hit the Lviv region of western Ukraine, where a fire broke out, they said. Follow the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict