Portugal Colonial - Russian strikes kill 8 across Ukraine, including 6 from one family

One of the dozens of missiles fired by Russia struck a village house near the central city of Kryvyi Rig, local authorities said, killing three adults and three children from the same family.

"It was an ordinary home, blown into smithereens by a ballistic missile," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"Two more children were pulled out alive," he added.

The regional governor published photos of rescuers sifting through the rubble of a small house.

The overnight attack, which involved 74 missiles and 284 drones according to the air force, also resulted in casualties in the capital Kyiv, and in Poltava.

Russia's defence ministry said it had hit Ukrainian military-industrial complex, military communications and logistics centres.

Ukraine's air force said it managed to intercept 55 missiles and 265 drones launched by Moscow.

In neighbouring Poland, police said they had discovered a 10-metre-wide crater in a field -- likely caused by a projectile.

The country's operational command said it had detected an "unidentified object" which then dropped off radar screens.

Russian drones have previously been detected flying through Polish airspace during attacks on Russia, while in 2022 two people in a border village were killed by a misfiring Ukrainian air defence missile.

Zelensky refreshed his call for more supplies of air defence to protect Ukraine against Russia's ballistic missiles.

"Given the critical shortage of air defense missiles from our partners, our warriors are accomplishing truly incredible things," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader on Tuesday had discussed anti-ballistic defence with American counterpart Donald Trump at the White House and discussed the possibility of Ukraine producing anti-ballistic Patriot interceptors.

Zelensky said he had a "good meeting" with Trump and said the US president "accepted that he will give us (Patriot) licenses".

Kyiv has throughout the war developed ways to defend itself against Russian drones and missiles, but super-fast ballistic missiles remain a challenge.

Of more than 120 ballistic missiles fired by Russia this month, Ukraine has downed less than a third of them, according to data from Kyiv's air force.

That compares to an interception rate for drones of around 90 percent.

- 'I want to live' -

Zelensky had late on Wednesday warned of a likely missile attack, prompting tens of thousands in Kyiv to preemptively seek shelter.

Residents flooded stations of the Kyiv subway, which have doubled as shelters during the war.

They set up tents, rolled-out yoga mats and unfolded sleeping bags in a now well-organised routine.

Many also checked social media, where official and unofficial Telegram channels warn them of incoming attacks almost instantly.

Galyna Doschuk, 27, said she came to the subway station every time she read reports of a forthcoming attack.

"I want to live... sometimes our neighbour gets in the way. But we're fighting on," said the young photojournalist, wrapped in a black sweater, referring to Russia.

Explosions starting ringing out in the capital at around 01:00 am, an AFP journalist heard.

Kyiv's city military administration confirmed one person was killed and two others wounded there, after Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russia was "attacking the capital with ballistic weapons".

Officials in Ukraine's eastern Poltava region, meanwhile, said one person was killed in a drone strike on a warehouse, while at least 31 people were wounded in attacks on the western city of Lviv.

Last month was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, as Moscow ramped up its long-range strikes on towns and cities across Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

Ukraine has escalated its own retaliatory strikes on Russia in recent months, partly to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table after nearly four-and-a-half years of war.

P.Sousa--PC