At least 28 killed, including children, in Russian strikes on Ukraine

In a post on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said three of the victims of the strike were under one year old, while another child aged eight was killed. Later, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry announced the recovery of a fifth child's body from the rubble.

Ukrainian authorities announced that 20 people were killed by the strike that targeted the city of Pryluky.

Zelensky continued that the strikes resulted in dozens of injuries, including seven children, while 15 people, including one child, were rescued, accusing Russia of targeting "ordinary cities and the lives of ordinary people"

He added "By continuing to target Ukraine, our people, and our children with missiles, Russia is deliberately spreading terror"

Zelensky said earlier via a post on social media "There may still be people under the rubble"

- "One of the worst attacks" -

Zelensky condemned "one of the worst attacks", noting the launch of "a total of 70 missiles, including a large number of ballistic missiles" which are difficult to intercept, in addition to drones, on 12 regions of the country overnight.

He said "Our energy infrastructure was one of the main targets"

Zelensky, who is asking his allies for more systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, announced the deaths of two people in Olexandria and two in Kremenchuk, two cities located in the center of the country.

In Kyiv, the mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said two people were killed in a fire caused by a strike that targeted the Darnytsky residential district.

He added that two others were killed in subsequent strikes.

In the part of the Kherson region of Ukraine under Russian control, two people, including a teenage girl, were killed in a drone strike, while two others were killed in a drone attack on a village near the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which Russia annexed, according to authorities appointed by Moscow.

The approach of winter raises fears of a repeat of last year's scenario, when Russia bombed the country's energy facilities, plunging millions of homes into darkness and cold. Energy consumption restrictions have already been imposed in Kyiv.

Zelensky warned on Tuesday evening that Russia was planning to launch "large-scale" strikes, particularly on the country's energy infrastructure.

On Wednesday, he said "The Russians wanted to deliver a painful and demonstrative blow", describing the attack as "one of the worst strikes" in the ongoing conflict, which has been going on for about five years.

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had bombed, particularly in Kyiv and its region and in the Chernihiv region, factories for assembling and storing cruise missiles, including Ukrainian "Flamingo" missiles, and long-range drones, overnight.

The capital has been increasingly targeted in recent weeks as winter approaches, with air raid sirens blaring almost continuously to warn of imminent Russian strikes.

Residents took shelter in metro stations early Wednesday, carrying bags, sleeping bags, and blankets, after the military issued warnings for Kyiv and other areas of the country.

Irina Rybalchenko, who works in a bank, told AFP, as she sat on a platform wearing a dark jacket with a hood and surrounded by bags, "We took our things and came here, we live right next to the station"

She added "The whole of Kyiv is in fear. We were stuck at work today, and everyone and our bosses in the chat groups were sending us messages asking us to be careful"

The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia had launched at least 50 missiles and 130 drones on several regions overnight, including Dnipro, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Poltava.

Zelensky considered ballistic missiles to be "the biggest challenge" despite the downing of some of them, stressing that obtaining new air defense systems is a "vital necessity" to help Ukraine defend itself.

The renewed attacks on Tuesday led to programmed power outages that plunged parts of Kyiv into darkness in order to reduce the pressure on the damaged electricity network.

Zelensky had urged residents on Tuesday to follow air raid alerts, saying in his evening speech that "there is updated intelligence regarding the Russians' readiness to launch a large-scale strike"

Military surveillance channels also said they expected a large-scale Russian attack combining cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and fast jet-powered drones.

Zelensky assured that the army is "ready to respond, to the extent that our defense systems allow"

The Air Force announced on Wednesday morning that it had intercepted five ballistic missiles, 39 cruise missiles, and more than 100 drones.

Ukraine is struggling to shoot down the new and fast jet-powered drones, as well as the ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept.

Daria Medvedeva, 36, told AFP "The children were absolutely terrified. And the harder the shelling, the more we try to take shelter underground"