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Three killed in latest Russian air strikes on Ukraine

Rescuers work in a 24-storey building partially destroyed as a result of missiles strikes in Kyiv
Rescuers work in a 24-storey building partially destroyed as a result of missiles strikes in Kyiv

At least three people were killed after Russia unleashed its latest overnight air strike on Ukraine, officials said.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said missiles had targeted least five regions across the country and that three people were killed and eight wounded after a high-rise in Kyiv was struck.

"This is the style of terrorists. The style of Russia," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine's military said air defences had destroyed 41 out of 51 cruise missiles, as well as two drones, launched by Russia in the assault.

In a separate post, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said the damage had been caused by fragments from a downed missile and that air defences had shot down more than 20 missiles around the city.

Emergency workers were sifting through debris at the scene, where a gaping hole was visible on one side of the building. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said that more people may be trapped under the rubble.

Officials in the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk said eight people were wounded - two of them children - and several buildings destroyed in attacks there.

Governor Serhiy Lysak said air defences had destroyed nine missiles and three drones but that residential buildings in the regional capital Dnipro and an unspecified infrastructure object were hit.

"Not a single military target," Mayor Borys Filatov wrote separately on Telegram.

At least three Russian missiles also targeted Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with one hitting a gas line and triggering a fire, said Mayor Ihor Terekhov. He said emergency services were at the scene but gave no details on casualties.

Debris from the strikes landed on parked cars

There were reports of explosions in other cities but no indication of casualties or damage.

Moscow began stepping up regular air strikes on Ukraine in May as Kyiv's military was planning a counter-offensive, which is now ongoing, to retake Russian-occupied territory in the east and south.

Ukraine organises peace meeting in Denmark

Meanwhile, Denmark is hosting a meeting organised by Ukraine bringing together several nations - including those who have remained neutral on the Russian invasion - to discuss a path towards peace.

Few details have leaked about the meeting, however a Western official speaking on condition of anonymity said that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan would attend.

The meeting in Copenhagen aims to discuss ways of achieving a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine, the source said.

The invitees include top security officials from the United States, the European Union and other countries that have backed Ukraine since Russia invaded last year, as well as those that have not condemned the invasion, the source added.

They did not specify which countries.

"We have worked very hard inside (the) G7 on a peace formula," said a European diplomatic source.

"So the idea is to go beyond that and involve key actors like Brazil and India. We frankly expect and wish that China will be there."

The meeting was first reported by the UK's Financial Times.

It cited sources familiar with the plans as saying the meeting could include officials from Brazil, India and South Africa, although the list of attendees had not been finalised.

Those three states, along with China, have not joined the West in sanctioning Moscow.

The discussions in Denmark are expected to be informal, without a resulting official statement.

But they are seen as a milestone on the path to a peace summit organised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A date has not yet been set for this summit, which could be held in Copenhagen or Paris in the coming months, but the EU has said "substantial" preparation was necessary.


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