4 dead as Russia fires nearly 400 drones at Ukraine with signs spring offensive has begun

A major Russian drone and missile attack on civilian areas of Ukraine killed four people and injured at least 35, officials said Tuesday, 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.

Russia fired almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, in its biggest attack in weeks. The onslaught continued into Tuesday as dozens of drones targeted the capital Kyiv during daylight.

Russia 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.

Daytime strikes injured 13 people, including three children, in the central Ukraine city of Dnipro and another daylight attack hit a block of flats in the centre of the western city of Lviv, near the Polish border, where two people were severely injured, regional officials said.

Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless barrages since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour 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 Ukraine’s plight.

Russia intensifies front-line attacks

On the roughly 1,250km (750 miles) front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, the short-handed defenders have been bracing for a new offensive by Russia’s bigger army as the weather improves.