Ukraine says Russia fired 'Kinzhal' missiles in overnight air strike

Reuters
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KYIV (Reuters) - Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles and strike drones at targets in Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday, causing damage in the cities of Odesa and Kryvy Rih, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian air defences downed three of the four drones fired in the overnight attack involving three Kinzhal hypersonic and three cruise missiles, the Air Force said in a statement.

"...The enemy rockets did not reach their targets in the Dnipropetrovsk region... the occupiers are continuing their terror against the Ukrainian people, attacking Ukraine's critical infrastructure facilities," the air force said.

The drones were shot down over the Black Sea region of Odesa in southwestern Ukraine, but one of them struck a warehouse, regional administration spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk said.

In the Kryvy Rih area, a Russian missile strike damaged at least 10 homes, the regional administration said.

Russia has regularly carried out long-distance missile and drone attacks since October, and increased strikes in May as Ukraine prepared for a counteroffensive.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Aleksandar Vasovic; editing by Timothy Heritage)