Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities, killing 5 and injuring 100

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s two largest cities came under attack Tuesday from Russian missiles that killed at least five people and injured almost 100, officials say, as the war approached its two-year mark and the Kremlin stepped up its winter bombardment of urban areas.

Four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital of Kyiv, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says on his Telegram channel, as Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound bore down on the city. Another person was killed in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, officials said.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi claims air defenses shot down all 10 of the hypersonic missiles, out of about 100 of various types that were launched.

The barrage extended Russian attacks that began Friday with its largest single assault on Ukraine since the war started. At least 41 civilians were killed since the weekend.

Russia fired almost 100 missiles of various types in the attacks, Zelenskyy says on X. He claims at least 70 were shot down, almost all of them in the Kyiv area, noting that Western-supplied air defense systems such as Patriots and NASAMS had saved hundreds of lives.

Russia’s Defense Ministry says it launched missile and drone strikes on military industrial facilities in and around Kyiv. Depots storing missiles and munitions supplied by the West also were targeted, it said.

“The goal of the strike has been achieved, all the targets have been hit,” it says without elaborating.