More than 16 killed as Kyiv comes under intense Russian bombardment

Missile and drone attack one of heaviest since war began, with children’s hospital and residential areas hit A heavy Russian missile and drone bombardment has killed at least 16 people in and around Kyiv in one of the most intense aerial attacks on Ukraine’s capital since the start of the war. Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor, said homes, a school and a children’s medical centre were among the buildings damaged overnight in an attack that began at about midnight and was continuing into the early afternoon. Sixteen people were reported killed in the city, officials said, while other authorities said 33 had been injured. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said: “It was a massive attack – the Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure.” Explosions could be clearly heard from the city centre within minutes of the first warning at 11.51pm on Wednesday, earlier than the normal timing of Russian missile strikes. A further wave of attacks followed after 6am on Thursday, and drone threats continued throughout the morning. Ukraine’s