Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, killing at least nine civilians and injuring 36 others, regional authorities reported on Saturday.

The Ukrainian Air Force revealed that 42 missiles and 123 Shahed-type attack drones, along with decoy drones, were launched. While Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept 56 of them, 61 remained unaccounted for in the airspace.

One of the deadliest strikes occurred in Poltava, where a missile slammed into a residential building, killing four people and wounding 13. Emergency responders combed through the rubble in search of survivors, warning that the death toll could rise. In Kherson Oblast, a 22-year-old man lost his life when a Russian drone dropped an explosive device. Four others suffered injuries in the attack, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

In Sumy Oblast, tragedy struck as three policemen on duty were killed in an airstrike targeting the Yunakivska community. Meanwhile, in Kharkiv, a 60-year-old woman was killed when an intercepted Russian drone crashed into a residential area, injuring four others. Additional shelling in Kupiansk district wounded two more civilians. Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that the region endured a total of 17 drones and six missile attacks throughout the night.

Odesa was not spared from the onslaught. Seven people sustained injuries when Russian forces targeted the city's historic center with missile strikes. Further east, Donetsk Oblast saw three civilians wounded in separate attacks—two in Pokrovsk and one in Katerynivka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 47-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman were among the casualties of another round of Russian strikes, Governor Serhii Lysak confirmed.

In Zaporizhzhia, a 57-year-old man was wounded when Russian drones attacked the city overnight. The Internal Affairs Ministry reported that 16 drones were launched, damaging at least 14 high-rise residential buildings and 10 houses. Similar attacks struck Kyiv and Khmelnytska oblasts, where Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept eight drones before they could cause more destruction.

As the nation reeled from the devastation, President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Telegram to condemn the attacks, calling them "another terrorist crime" by Russia. He reiterated the urgent need for international support, emphasizing that "every air defense system, every anti-missile is a life-saver."

The latest wave of assaults marks yet another escalation in Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine, fueling renewed calls for increased military aid to bolster Ukraine's defenses against relentless airstrikes. (ILKHA)