Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 15 as Putin celebrates 74th birthday

At least 15 civilians, including three children, have been killed and more than 40 injured after a barrage of Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and 12 other regions overnight, Ukrainian officials said.The widespread strike had been anticipated, following a warning from President Volodymyr Zelensky a day earlier that intelligence services believed Moscow was preparing a "massive" bombardment.Despite foreknowledge of the impending attack, which coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday, Ukrainian forces were unable to completely defend against the assault.The casualties and damage highlight the growing challenge Ukraine faces in countering Russia's ballistic weapons alongside its newer jet-powered drones. Without adequate ammunition for its US-made Patriot air defence systems, Kyiv cannot stop incoming ballistic missiles.Consequently, the country is scrambling to manufacture a new class of high-speed interceptors to target Moscow’s fast, high-flying jet drones.Both nations remain locked in a long-distance aerial struggle while ground forces remain largely stalled on the battlefield, more than four and a half years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Though the relentless air war causes strain to Russia, it threatens devastating consequences for its smaller neighbour.EOD specialists remove the debris of a Russian missile that fell in a residential neighborhood during a night of Russian missile attacks (Reuters)US-led peace efforts appear unlikely to bring any short-term relief, with the possibility of holding low-level technical talks still under discussion. Putin, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with the invasion in the belief that Ukrainians will buckle under the pressure and Kyiv’s Western supporters won’t stay the course, Western analysts say.A Russian strike destroyed an apartment block in Pryluky, in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, killing nine people, including three children, and wounding 34, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said.Deaths were also reported in three other Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, according to Zelensky.“The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively,” the Ukrainian leader said on social media.Ukraine is looking worldwide for available Patriot missiles, which are in short supply due to the Iran war.“Russian ballistic missiles remain the greatest challenge. And air defense packages for us right now are a vital necessity,” Zelensky said.In Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region, two people were killed and seven injured, said Vitalii Diakivnych, head of the regional military administration, and a rescue operation was continuing.(National Police of Ukraine)“That is exactly what the enemy is counting on. For us to be afraid to fall asleep. To let our children out of our sight. To plan anything. So that everyone thinks: next time it could be my address,” he said.Russia’s Defense Ministry said the military carried out a massive strike overnight targeting industrial facilities involved in the production and storage of missiles and drones across Ukraine. The ministry said that port and ship repair facilities in the southern Odesa region and ships carrying cargo for the Ukrainian military were also hit.Ukraine has hit back at Russia by launching long-range drones and missiles on oil refineries and storage depots.Zelensky said Wednesday that Ukraine targeted two oil facilities and a training ground in the Perm, Samara, and Astrakhan regions of Russia.Russian officials made no immediate comment.Zelensky also indicated that Ukraine had struck in the Black Sea. He posted images of a fire said to show an oil tanker burning in the water near the Russian city of Sochi.It was not possible to independently verify the images.Some Russian online media late Tuesday also posted the images. Unconfirmed media reports said it was carrying oil from Novorossiysk to India and was attacked by Ukrainian sea drones.