Russian attacks kill three in Kiev ahead of new school year

Russia attacked Kiev with missiles and drones overnight, killing three people and injuring five, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday, hours before the start of the new school year.

Kiev Governor Tymur Tkachenko accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. Kiev's military administration said on Telegram that three people had been killed and five wounded.

A multi-storey residential building was damaged in the city of Boryspil, east of Kiev, Tkachenko said. Forty-eight people were evacuated from the building, while one person was killed when an industrial facility in Boryspil was hit, he said.

Tkachenko urged residents to heed air raid warnings and seek shelter. The new school year officially begins in Ukraine on Tuesday.

Ukrainian authorities also reported Russian attacks in other parts of the country overnight, including the Black Sea region around Odessa. The Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram that Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhya were also targeted.

Kiev and the surrounding region have been repeatedly targeted since Russia's invasion began more than four and a half years ago, with frequent air raid alerts in recent days and weeks.

Russia has increasingly used ballistic missiles, which travel at high speeds and are difficult to intercept. Ukraine says it lacks sufficient missiles for its US-made Patriot air defense systems, which are particularly effective against ballistic missiles.