Russia says it carried out massive overnight strikes on targets in nine Ukrainian cities

Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine with missiles and drones beginning after nightfall Wednesday and continuing into Thursday morning, when explosions were still heard in Kyiv, the New York Post reported, citing Reuters photography and official statements.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the overnight strike was "massive" and hit targets in nine Ukrainian cities. Moscow described the targets as military-related, including industrial facilities, oil refineries, logistics hubs and port infrastructure.

Ukrainian officials said civilian areas, including apartment blocks, were damaged. A 78-year-old woman was killed in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and at least nine people were reported wounded elsewhere. Smoke rose over parts of Kyiv as firefighters and emergency crews responded to overnight hits.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia keeps investing in missiles and expanding the war, which requires more countermeasures. He pointed to European promises of additional air defense help earlier in the week and said those efforts should include more ballistic-missile defense packages bought from the United States.

Ukrainian officials say Russia stockpiles missiles and launches major attacks every few days to exhaust air defenses. Ukraine remains short of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors against ballistic missiles, and Russian jet-powered drones add another challenge in the fifth year of the full-scale invasion. Each large salvo forces Kyiv to choose which cities and infrastructure to protect first.

Zelensky was scheduled to visit Moldova on Thursday for its national day marking independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the same year Ukraine declared independence. Both countries share a border and a history of Russian pressure, making the timing of the visit notable amid the latest strikes. Western capitals are watching whether the new barrage speeds fresh air-defense shipments before the next large salvo.