Russian Missile Strikes Across Ukraine Kill At Least Eight; Cargo Ship Hit In Black Sea

Russia launched a large-scale wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens, while a separate strike on a civilian cargo vessel in the Black Sea left five crew members dead, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

The attacks hit several regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, as Russia intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine.

Four people were killed in the northeastern city of Kharkiv after a strike hit a postal terminal in the city's suburbs, while an elderly woman was killed in Kyiv. Two more people died in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and one person was killed in Sumy.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault on the capital as "one of the most massive ballistic attacks" on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 41 missiles, including Iskander ballistic and hypersonic Zircon missiles, along with 125 drones. Air defences intercepted 18 missiles and 108 drones, it added.

The strikes damaged residential and commercial buildings across Kyiv, including a supermarket, a dormitory, warehouses and a logistics hub in Bucha district, where two people were injured. Firefighters battled multiple blazes triggered by the attacks.

In Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said several of those injured remained in serious condition.

Separately, Ukraine's navy said Russian missiles struck a Turkish-owned civilian cargo ship carrying grain in the Black Sea off the coast of Odesa, killing five crew members.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said the Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel had departed carrying corn with a crew of 17 sailors from India and Syria, along with one Ukrainian national.

Eight crew members were rescued, while five remained missing as the vessel continued to burn late on Sunday, he said.

"A civilian ship. An international crew. A route serving global food security. Putin saw another target," acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.

"This attack leaves no room for illusions. Putin's Russia does not care whom it kills."

The latest strike follows a series of recent Russian attacks on Ukraine's southern ports, which handle much of the country's grain exports and other strategic cargo.

Ukraine, meanwhile, said it had stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Zelensky said Ukrainian security service (SBU) units struck three oil depots in Russia's Stavropol region and another fuel-sector facility, while Ukrainian forces also hit three Russian "shadow fleet" oil tankers in the Black Sea.

"SBU [security service] units hit three oil depots in the Stavropol region simultaneously, while units of our Armed Forces struck another fuel-sector facility in the same region," Zelensky said.

"Precise hits on three Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers were recorded in the Black Sea. I thank every one of our units that is helping to spread the realisation within Russia that this war must be brought to an end."

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said its Black Sea export terminal had also been struck, damaging two tankers and forcing the suspension of oil-loading operations. It said there were no injuries or oil spills.

Zelensky said Russia had "used about 1,450 strike drones, more than 1,640 guided bombs and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine" over the past week.

"Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now," he said. "Interceptors are needed every day."

(inputs from Reuters and BBC)