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Vladimir Putin’s army unleashed fresh missile strikes on Ukrainian cities to mark his birthday.
The Russian president turns 74 today, and ahead of his big day, Putin’s forces carried out deadly attacks across Ukraine overnight.
Ukrainian intelligence services had predicted that brutal attacks would coincide with Putin’s birthday and had issued a warning.
Missiles and killer drones wreaked havoc in cities, forcing people to flee their homes and take cover in underground stations in Kyiv as alarms blared in warning.
Critical infrastructure was also damaged during the onslaught, which saw dozens of attacks across the war-torn country.
Footage shows one of dozens of devastating missile strikes – in this case a streaking North Korean-made KN-23 attacking the city of Dnipro.
In Kyiv at least two people were killed in Darnytskyi district, with the toll expected to rise, while city bosses said fires and damage were inflicted in at least four neighbourhoods.
In Kremenchuk, swarms of Russian missiles struck the hydro-electric plant, a key energy provider for all of Ukraine, while homes were levelled too.
One resident described the attacks as ‘hell.’
A five-storey residential building was flattened in Pryluky, Chernihiv region, in a Kh-101 cruise missile strike, with fears that people are trapped under the rubble.
There was no immediate information on civilian casualties.
A strike on critical infrastructure in Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad region, led to multiple casualties, said mayor Serhiy Kuzmenko.
Russia’s air force dispatched ten Tu-95MS and three Tu-160M strategic nuclear-capable bombers into Ukraine.
Andriy Kovalenko, the Ukrainian national security commentator, accused Russian ‘criminals’ of planning the attacks in advance ‘to celebrate Putin’s birthday by terrorising civilians.’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: ‘Please, I urge you to take care of yourselves.
‘Please, respond to air raid alerts.’
The Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 1,688th day with no end in the conflict in sight.
Ukraine is in line for one of its toughest winters since the invasion began in February 2022 if Russia cuts off power and water supplies, UN officials have warned.
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