7 People Killed as Russian Missiles Strike Cities in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine—Russian missiles struck three Ukrainian cities Tuesday, including its two biggest, killing at least seven people.

The barrage included more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft, and guided missiles, officials said. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 21 of them.

The attacks keep Ukrainians on edge while the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line has barely budged. Both sides’ inability to deliver major gains on the battlefield has pushed the fighting toward trench and artillery warfare.

In Kharkiv, in northeast Ukraine, the onslaught killed six and injured 48, as the missiles damaged about 30 residential buildings, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.

Russia used S-300, Kh-32, and hypersonic Iskander missiles in the attack, he said.

An entire section of a multistory residential building was destroyed, trapping an unknown number of people there, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. The temperature in the city was minus 7 degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit), he said.

Kharkiv, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border, has often felt the brunt of Russia’s winter campaign of long-range strikes.

The attack injured at least 20 people in four districts of Kyiv, the capital, according to Mayor Vitalii Klitschko. Officials corrected initial reports that a civilian had been killed there, saying the wounded person was hospitalized on life support.

A missile also killed a 43-year-old woman and damaged two schools and eight high-rise buildings in Pavlohrad, an industrial city in the eastern Dnipro region, the country’s presidential office claimed.

In the south, Russia attacked the city of Beryslav with drones, killing a 69-year-old man.

There appeared to be a scant chance of an end to the war anytime soon. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defied the United States and other Ukraine supporters at a U.N. meeting on Monday, ruling out any peace plan they support.

Mr. Lavrov said that Ukrainian forces have been “a complete failure” on the battlefield and are “incapable” of defeating Russia.

The attacks on cities came two days after Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine said that Ukrainian shelling killed 27 people on the outskirts of Russian-controlled Donetsk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a “monstrous terrorist act.”

The Ukrainian military, however, denied it had anything to do with the attack.

Mr. Peskov said Tuesday’s attacks should not be seen as Moscow’s response to the Donetsk strike.

NATO on Tuesday signed a $1.2-billion contract to make tens of thousands of artillery rounds to replenish the dwindling stocks of its member countries. The contract will allow allies to backfill their arsenals and provide Ukraine with more ammunition.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday was the latest foreign leader to visit Ukraine and announce a new aid package that includes a loan to buy larger weapons and a commitment to find ways to manufacture them together.

Ukraine’s allies have recently sought to reassure the country that they are committed to its long-term defense amid concerns that Western support could be flagging. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and France’s new foreign minister also traveled to Kyiv in the new year.

But the United States, Ukraine’s main supplier, is currently unable to send Ukraine any ammunition or weapons. While waiting for Congress to approve more money for Ukraine’s fight, the United States is looking to its allies to bridge the gap.