Ukraine-Russia war latest: At least 12 dead and 33 injured as Putin launches ‘massive attack’ on Kyiv

Russian forces have unleashed a major attack on Ukraine in the early hours today, with multiple ballistic missiles targeting the capital Kyiv .

At least five people were killed and 23 have been injured in the strikes, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said, as witnesses reported more than a dozen explosions.

Poland said it was activating a range of defensive measures in response to the strikes unfolding across the border, describing them as "preventive military aviation operations".

A children’s hospital in Kyiv was struck in the attack, Klitschko said, while people were trapped in one destroyed residential building and fires broke out in multiple locations.

The attack comes hours after president Vladimir Putin admitted that Ukrainian attacks were causing Russia harm, in statements made on Wednesday.

"Of course, such attacks have not caused, and could not cause, critical consequences. However, they do inflict damage; this is obvious, and we fully understand and acknowledge it," he told a conference of ministers and business leaders on the economy.

Ukraine has upped its long-range attacks on critical energy infrastructure over the last few months.

A drone has crashed ⁠into Romanian national territory ⁠during ​a ⁠Russian attack ⁠on ​neighbouring Ukraine, the ⁠Romanian ‌defence ministry said ‌this morning.

The drone crashed ⁠into an uninhabited area of the Romanian county ‌of Tulcea, ​the ‌ministry ⁠said.

Poland has launched preventive military aviation operations to protect its airspace amid Russian strikes on Ukraine in the early hours today, the Polish army said in a post on X.

Russia launched ballistic missiles on the Ukrainian ‌capital of ​Kyiv ‌in the early hours today, killing at least five people.

At least five people were killed and 23 have been injured in Russian ballistic missiles strikes on Kyiv in the early hours today, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The attack has damaged buildings and ​left ⁠parts of the Ukrainian capital without power. A fire broke out after Russia attacked the upper ⁠floors of a nine-story residential building, Klitschko said, and people ​were trapped ⁠in another place as ‌Moscow hit non-residential and apartment facilities, warehouses and a children's hospital.

Russia has warned of “consequences” following reports that British-built drones were deployed to hit targets on its mainland for the first time .