Russian air strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv kill two, wound dozens: Ukrainian officials

Kyiv: Heavy Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv killed two civilians, wounded dozens and caused widespread damage on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said.

The attacks struck residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, hours after President Vladimir Putin said an air strike on the Russian city of Belgorod that Moscow said killed 24 civilians and blamed on Ukraine "will not go unpunished".

Russia has stepped up air strikes on Ukraine over the New Year period, and on Friday conducted its largest air attack of the almost two-year-old war on Ukraine, killing at least 39 people.

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Russia attacked with waves of different missiles during the morning rush hour on Tuesday. Military authorities issued air alerts that lasted for at least three hours.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said an elderly woman had died in an ambulance after being wounded. He had earlier said that at least 16 people had been wounded in the capital.

He said gas pipelines had been damaged in Kyiv's Pecherskyi district, and electricity and water had been cut off in several districts of the capital. Rescuers were putting out fires in several places, he said.

The loss of electricity and water brought back memories of last winter when Russia pounded the energy grid with missiles, causing frequent power cuts and plunging millions into darkness.

Oleh Synehubov, Kharkiv's regional governor, said the central part of the city of Kharkiv was attacked at about 07:30 am (0530 GMT). He said on the Telegram messaging app that one person had been killed the attack and 41 had been wounded.

After the initial aerial barrage, Yuri Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, said the situation remained tense and that air defences were bracing for more Russian missile launches.

—Reuters