At least three people dead, dozens others injured in Ukraine as Russia launches massive attack

A massive overnight Russian attack on Ukraine killed three people and injured at least 45 others across the country, among them three children, Ukrainian media reported on Saturday.

The State Emergency Situations Service of Ukraine reported that eight people were hospitalised, including the injured children: a 9-year-old boy, a 10-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 537 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, as well as eight ballistic missiles and 37 cruise missiles.

In Zaporizhzhya, local authorities reported that the strikes caused power outages, alongside damage to 14 apartment buildings and more than 40 private houses. An unspecified number of industrial facilities were damaged, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Moscow's latest attack on Ukraine comes just two days after Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack on multiple Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, killing 25 people.

The attack in central Kyiv targeted the European Union's diplomatic mission and the nearby British Council, drawing outrage from the EU Commission.

Reacting to the latest Russian strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for real action to stop Moscow's deadly campaign.

"We have seen the world's reaction to the previous shelling. But now that Russia is again showing that it does not care about words, we are counting on real action.

It is quite clear that the time allotted for the preparation of the leaders' meeting in Moscow was used to prepare new massive strikes."

War will not stop from political statements—Zelenskyy

According to Zelensky, “harsh tariffs against all those who pump money into the Russian army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself—banking and energy sanctions” are required.

"This war will not stop from political statements—we need real steps. We are waiting for the actions of America, Europe, and the whole world," Zelensky emphasised.

Meanwhile, the AFU General Staff reported strikes on two Russian oil refineries in the Krasnodar Region and the Samara Region.

A statement on the strike in Krasnodar Krai said the attack was carried out as part of reducing the offensive potential of Russian forces and complicating fuel supplies to military units.

"This refinery produces light oil products with a volume of 3 million tons per year—gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel. It is involved in supplying the armed forces of the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian military said in a statement.

Russian authorities have yet to give confirmation or issue a statement on the attack. However, Russia's defense ministry claimed that between 7:00 and 11:00 local time, it destroyed 20 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

According to the ministry, 18 of those were over Crimea. The ministry claimed to have destroyed 86 UAVs in a previous report.