KYIV: Russia fired a volley of missiles and drones across Ukraine overnight on Friday to Saturday, killing 12 people and wounding more than a dozen, including children.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 29 missiles and 480 drones, several of which targeted energy and railway infrastructure. Authorities in Kharkiv, the second-largest city, said a ballistic missile strike destroyed a five-storey apartment block, killing 10 people.

Reporters saw rescuers sifting through the debris, where several people were believed to be trapped. “Since last night, the rubble of a residential building in Kharkiv is being cleared following a Russian ballistic missile strike,” Zelensky said on social media. The victims included two women and their two children, mayor Igor Terekhov said.

“Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky added, urging the country’s allies to continue providing military support.

The Ukrainian leader said he informed French President Emmanuel Macron about the consequences of the attacks during a phone conversation. During the call, Zelensky said it was important that a 90 billion euro ($105-billion) EU aid package as well as the next round of sanctions against Russia, currently blocked by Hungary, “are implemented”.

Russia said it had carried out a “massive high-precision strike” against military targets in Ukraine. It routinely denies targeting civilian infrastructure.

The Russian army said earlier it had intercepted over 120 Ukrainian drones overnight. The Moscow-installed authorities of Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region said one person was killed and four were wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2026