Russia launches large-scale aerial strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian

Ukrainian authorities say Russian armed forces rained more than 600 drones and 60 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and other cities in the latest wave of attacks early Tuesday, killing at least 22 civilians and injuring 138 others.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pursuing elevated aerial bombardment in recent weeks in a bid to exploit Ukraine's vulnerability of running short of the US-made Patriot air defence systems. The attacks using "high-precision weapons" stretched past dawn, with blasts reverberating across industry facilities and military infrastructure in Ukraine's capital city Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as in Sumy regions.

Fuel and transport infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian armed forces have also been targeted, authorities say. Kyiv has reported six deaths and 81 injuries while at least 16 people lost their lives in Dnipro, according to local officials. Ukraine's Energy Ministry says in a statement that the attacks have left residents in eight regions without electricity.

Ukrainians have been on edge for several days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Kyiv had intelligence information about Moscow's preparation of a new massive assault.

In his latest video address, Zelenskyy appeals for more military support from the US and Europe and decries the complicity of other countries aiding Moscow's campaign, pointing to thousands of components imported elsewhere without which its military production would come to a halt.

Zelenskyy also describes Russia's overnight bombings as an explicit statement that if Ukraine is not protected from ballistic missiles and other missile strikes, those strikes will continue. This as he attempts to persuade a coalition of countries to create a European anti-ballistic air defence system.

The United Nations Secretary-General condemns the attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine that resulted in widespread destruction while reiterating urgent appeal for immediate de-escalation leading to an unconditional ceasefire between the parties.

Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric says, "The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, also condemned the attacks. Humanitarian organizations, including our own UN agencies, are fully mobilized and providing first aid and psychological support, distributing emergency relief items, and registering affected people for humanitarian cash assistance."