Russia strikes Ukraine’s Kyiv and Kharkiv cities

Police officers collect evidence after a drone strike in Kyiv. Pic/AFP

Russian drones, missiles and bombs hit Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's biggest cities, in nighttime attacks, killing four people and wounding 15 in a continuing aerial onslaught, officials said. A Russian aerial attack struck Kharkiv, in Ukraine's northeast, at around 3 am, hitting a house and killing four people, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Nearly 20 houses were damaged.

Several hours earlier, Russia dropped a glide bomb on the landmark Derzhprom building in Kharkiv city centre, injuring seven people. Derzhprom, also known as the Palace of Industry, is included in UNESCO's World Heritage List as an example of modernist architecture. Authorities in Kyiv said debris from intercepted Russian drones fell on two city districts, injuring six people.

Meanwhile, a special forces academy in the Russian province of Chechnya was hit by Ukrainian drones, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished, according to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was the first drone attack of the war on Chechnya, which lies about 800 km east of Ukraine.

In another worrying development for Kyiv officials, North Korea's top diplomat is visiting Russia. South Korea's spy agency said Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui may be involved in high-level discussions on sending additional troops to Russia and negotiating what the North would get in return.

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