Russia launches massive strike on 9 Ukrainian cities

Russia launched a "massive" overnight strike on nine Ukrainian cities, according to Russian officials.

The barrage, which began after nightfall Wednesday and continued into daylight Thursday, killed a 78-year-old woman in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and another person in the northern Kharkiv region.

Explosions were reported across multiple cities as missiles and drones targeted urban areas.

The strikes mark another major escalation in Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.