Russia Ukraine war live: Child among dozen injured as major missile attacks on Kyiv foiled

An 11-year-old child was among more than a dozen people injured in Russia’s largest missile strike on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.

Russia fired 31 missiles towards Kyiv, which were all drowned by Ukraine’s air defences.

Two people with severe injuries were rushed to a hospital yesterday, said Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko.Falling missile debris triggered fires and damaged schools, residential buildings and industrial facilities in the capital

About 15 blasts were heard in Ukraine’s Kharkiv this morning, mayor Ihor Terekhov said, and Russian missile strikes appeared to be targeting the city’s power supply, causing partial blackouts.

Mr Terekhov did not report any casualties.

In central Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said blasts were heard in the city, but provided no details. The administration of the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia also reported eight missile strikes.

President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan sought to reassure Ukrainians during an unannounced visit to Kyiv Wednesday that the U.S. will continue to support their efforts to fend off Russia’s two-year-old invasion

European Union leaders gathered Thursday to consider new ways to help boost arms and ammunition production for Ukraine and to discuss the war in Gaza amid deep concern about Israeli plans to launch a ground offensive in the city of Rafah.

Ukraine’s munition stocks are desperately low, and Russia has more and better-armed troops. There is also a growing awareness that the EU must provide for its own security, with election campaigning in the U.S. raising questions about Washington’s commitment to its allies.

The Belgorod region of Russia has come under increasing attacks from Ukraine this month as the invasion by Moscow grinds into its third year.

The region of forests, farmland and rolling hills has a 540-kilometer (335-mile) border along Ukraine’s northeastern edge. It has an area of over 27,000 square kilometers (about 10,500 square miles), and has a population of about 1.5 million.

Russia aborted the launch of three astronauts to the International Space Station moments before they were scheduled to lift off Thursday, but the crew was safe, officials said.

The Russian Soyuz rocket was to carry NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.

The ballistic and cruise missiles, the first fired on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days, were knocked out of the sky, but at least 17 people were injured in Kyiv and the surrounding area by falling debris. Schools, residential buildings and industrial facilities were also damaged, Ukrainian officials said.

European Union leaders were poised to agree in principle Thursday to open membership negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, even though the Western Balkan country must still do a lot of work before talks can begin.

The 27 leaders were expected to give the political green light at a summit in Brussels after the European Commission — the EU’s executive arm — last week agreed to start talks in spite of deep lingering ethnic divisions in the nation with 3.2 million inhabitants.

Mr Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya claimed the refusal stemmed from the Kremlin’s desire to hide what she believes is incriminating footage of his death.

His mother Lyudmila Navalnaya, who the day after her son’s death travelled to the Arctic Circle penal colony where he was being held, was told her lawsuit had been dismissed because she was not the allegedly wronged party.