Russia large-scale missile, drone attack on Ukrainian cities, strikes on apartment buildings kill 4, injure 16

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on multiple Ukrainian cities overnight on March 24, killing at least four people and injuring 16 others, local officials reported.

The latest attack comes just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an imminent mass attack by Russian forces, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports.

Explosions were heard in the cities of Poltava and Zaporizhzhia beginning just before 3 a.m. local time, according to Telegram monitoring channels, amid an incoming Russian missile attack. Ukraine’s Air Force first warned of incoming Russian ballistic missiles around 2:45 a.m. local time.

Further rounds of explosions were also heard in the country’s far-western Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast around 4:30 a.m., public broadcaster Suspilne reported.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that at least one person was killed and five others injured in the overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia, including in a drone attack on the city.

Fedorov said that six apartment buildings, two homes, and an unspecified “industrial infrastructure facility” sustained damage and caught fire in the attack.

In Poltava, regional Governor Vitaliy Dyakivnych reported that several residential buildings, as well as a hotel, had sustained damage in the attack. At least two people were killed and 11 others injured in the strike.

Later in the morning of March 24, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a man was killed after a Russian strike on a residential building in Kherson.

Air raid alerts have been issued in nearly all of Ukraine’s regions overnight, with Russian drones targeting various regions of the country — including reports of drones flying in the country’s far-western regions.

Poland’s Air Force said it scrambled Polish and allied fighter jets to protect Polish airspace amid the attack.

Earlier in the night, explosions also rang out in Kyiv amid a drone attack on the capital. Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported hearing multiple blasts beginning around 12:30 a.m. local time.

Local authorities confirmed that air defense systems are active and urged residents to seek shelter.

In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terehov said that a drone crashed in an open field in the city without detonating or casausing damage.

Similarly, no reports of damage were reported in Kyiv or in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

In his evening address, Zelensky suggested the potential strike could take place late on Monday but did not provide further details on timing or possible targets.

Russia last launched a large-scale missile and drone attack against Ukraine in the early hours of March 14. Over the winter months, Russia frequently targeted civilian infrastructure in an attempt to freeze Ukraine into submission.