At least 28 people, including five children, have been killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday.

The deadliest attack occurred in Pryluky, in the northern Chernigiv region, where a missile struck a five-storey residential building as residents slept.

The blast destroyed part of the building, leaving rescuers searching through charred concrete and twisted metal for survivors and victims.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said three of the children killed were just one year old, while another was eight. A fifth child was later recovered from the rubble, according to Ukraine’s interior ministry.

Authorities said 20 people were killed in the Pryluky strike, while seven other children were among dozens injured.

Zelensky condemned the attacks, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians.

“The continued use of missiles against Ukraine, against our people, our children, is an absolutely deliberate choice of terror,” he said.

Residents described scenes of panic after the strike, with one woman, Olena Sayun, telling AFP that her family sheltered in their bathroom as their apartment was hit by the blast.

Kyiv hit as Russia launches major overnight assault

The attack on Pryluky was part of a wider Russian assault involving at least 50 missiles and 130 drones, according to Ukraine’s air force.

The strikes targeted several regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Poltava.

Two people were killed after missiles struck a high-rise building in Kremenchuk, while two others died in Oleksandriya.

In Kyiv, two people were killed in a fire caused by a strike in the densely populated Darnytskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two additional deaths were reported in later strikes.

Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted five ballistic missiles, 39 cruise missiles and more than 100 drones.

However, Ukrainian officials said ballistic missiles and newer, fast-moving jet-powered drones remain difficult to intercept.

Residents seek shelter as attacks intensify

Kyiv has faced increased attacks as winter approaches, with air raid sirens sounding frequently and residents taking shelter in underground metro stations.

Power cuts affected parts of the capital on Wednesday evening, while traffic and water supplies were also disrupted.

The latest strikes came a day after Zelensky warned of a potentially “massive” Russian attack, particularly against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Civilian casualties have also been reported in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine following Ukrainian drone attacks.

In the Russia-occupied part of Kherson region, two people, including a teenage girl, were reportedly killed in a drone strike. Two others were killed in a drone attack on a village near Donetsk, according to Russian-installed officials.

The latest escalation comes as the war, now approaching its fifth year, continues to see long-range attacks from both sides.