Russian forces attacked Kyiv and a number of other different cities throughout Ukraine with greater than 20 missiles and two drones on Friday, killing not less than 12 folks and demolishing residential and business buildings.

The assault was the biggest of its sort in weeks and got here two days after China’s president Xi Jinping urged Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of their first cellphone name in additional than 14 months, to barter an finish to Russia’s warfare.

Within the central metropolis of Uman, 10 folks died after missiles struck high-rise residential buildings, in keeping with Ukrainian inside minister Ihor Klymenko.

Ten residence buildings within the metropolis have been broken, Zelenskyy mentioned. “The complete block of one in all them was destroyed. Persons are nonetheless trapped beneath the rubble.”

A mom and a younger youngster have been killed when their residence within the jap metropolis of Dnipro was hit, in keeping with the town’s mayor, Borys Filatov.

Rescuers have been clearing particles on the scenes of each assaults on Friday morning, as they looked for extra victims.

Air raid sirens wailed all through Kyiv simply earlier than daybreak, signalling an assault was on its method. There have been no direct strikes in Kyiv, however air defence techniques may very well be heard partaking the missiles. Kyiv metropolis administration reported downing 11 cruise missiles and two drones across the capital. Photos confirmed a missile blast shatter the facade of an residence block within the suburb of Ukrainka.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s army chief, mentioned air defence items destroyed 21 out of 23 Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles in all. That they had been launched from the Caspian Sea at round 4am, he added.

The bombardment was the primary aerial assault on Kyiv in 51 days, the town administration mentioned.

The assault got here lower than 48 hours after Zelenskyy held his first phone name with China’s Xi since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February final yr.

In the course of the virtually hour-long name that Zelenskyy described as “lengthy and significant”, Xi urged the Ukrainian president to hunt a “political settlement”, in keeping with China’s overseas ministry.

“Dialogue and negotiation are the one method ahead,” Xi mentioned, signalling that he and his authorities need to act as mediator within the battle.

“Missile strikes killing harmless Ukrainians of their sleep, together with a two-year-old youngster, is Russia’s response to all peace initiatives,” Ukraine’s overseas minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. He repeated his plea for US fighter jets to guard the skies over his war-stricken nation. “The best way to peace is to kick Russia out of Ukraine. The best way to peace is to arm Ukraine with F-16s and shield kids from Russian terror.”

Russian assaults have been additionally carried out on a number of cities throughout the 600-mile frontline in Ukraine’s south and east on Friday.

“This Russian terror should face a good response from Ukraine and the world. And it’ll,” Zelenskyy mentioned.