Russia has launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, while Moscow's army stepped up efforts to break through Ukrainian front-line defences in what could be the start of an anticipated spring ground offensive.
At least five people were killed and 27 injured in the overnight attacks, officials said, which continued into Tuesday as dozens of drones targeted the capital Kyiv during daylight.
Russian missiles and drones struck residential areas as well as transport and energy infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said.
In the central Poltava region, two people were killed and 12 wounded, including a five-year-old who was left in intensive care, emergency services said.
Local media published images of residential buildings with blown-out windows and scorched facades.
A 61-year-old passenger on a train in Kharkiv "died on the spot" after the carriage was hit by a drone, the regional prosecutor's office said.
In Zaporizhzhia, a "massive combined missile-drone strike" killed one person and wounded at least nine, the regional governor said.
One person was also killed in their home in the southern frontline city of Kherson, officials said.
'More protection is needed to save lives'
On the eve of the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned in his daily televised address that "there is information from our intelligence that the Russians may be preparing a massive strike."
Russia fired almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, in its biggest attack in weeks.
Its forces also launched 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles at Ukraine during the night, hitting at least 10 locations across the country, according to the air force.
"These numbers clearly show that more protection is needed to save lives from Russian strikes," Zelenskyy said on social media.
"It is important to continue supporting Ukraine and to ensure that all agreements on air defence are implemented on time," he added.
Frontline bracing for new offensive
On the roughly 1,250-kilometre frontline along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, the Ukrainian defenders have been bracing for a new offensive by Russia's army as the weather improves.
The Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Russian troops in recent days have made simultaneous attempts to break through defensive lines in several strategic areas.
“Fierce fighting unfolded along the entire line of contact,” Syrskyi said Monday on the Telegram messaging app, with Russia launching 619 attacks in four days.
“The occupiers are attempting to bring up new units and are preparing to continue attacks,” Syrskyi said, adding that Ukraine had deployed reinforcements to counter the assaults.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, said Syrskyi’s report backed up its assessment that Russia’s spring-summer offensive is now under way.
Russia has escalated its strikes since 17 March and has moved heavy equipment and more troops to the front line, the ISW said late Monday.
Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless barrages since Russia launched a full-scale invasion more than four years ago.
US-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv over the past year have brought no respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s offer of a ceasefire, and in recent weeks the Iran war has diverted international attention from Russia's all-out invasion.
