Sweeping Russian air attack hits Ukraine as Putin attends China parade

KYIV: Russia launched a sweeping overnight air attack on Ukraine that injured at least four railway workers and damaged critical infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday.

Air raid alerts sounded for hours across Ukraine, with explosions heard in nine of its 24 regions, from Kyiv to Lviv and Volyn in the west, Ukrainian officials and media said.

Ukraine's air force said it downed 430 of 502 drones and 21 of 24 missiles launched by Russia overnight, adding that three missiles and 69 drones struck 14 locations.

Ukraine's western neighbour and NATO member Poland activated its own and allied aircraft to ensure safety, its armed forces command said.

Four railway workers in Ukraine's central Kirovohrad region were in hospital after the Russian attack, the state-owned railway said on messaging app Telegram, flagging delays of up to 7 hours to scores of services following damaged facilities.

The railway workers were among five injured in the major rail hub of Znamianka, where 28 houses were also damaged, Ukraine's emergency services said on Telegram.

In northern Chernihiv, the attack cut power to 30,000 consumers and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, Governor Viacheslav Chaus said.

Public transport in the western city of Khmelnytskyi faced "significant schedule disruptions" after the attack, its administration said on Telegram, with the regional governor flagging fires and damage to residential buildings among others.

Firefighters in the Ivano-Frankivsk region were battling flames that engulfed 9,000 sq m (10,800 sq yards) of storage facilities, emergency services said.

There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes in the war Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.