Ukraine war: at least four killed as Russia unleashes new strikes across the country on eve of Victory Day

Russia has reportedly ramped up its deadly attacks on Ukraine overnight, unleashing a flurry of missiles, drones and airstrikes which have ravaged buildings and killed at least 4 civilians.

There are reports Ukraine has imminent plans to launch a Spring counter-offensive to reclaim land in the south after the Russian invasion. Preparations have been ongoing on both sides for months, CNN reports.

But Tuesday (9 May) also marks Victory Day for Russia - once a holiday marking the anniversary of Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 - now a day of widespread parades and celebrations which Politico reports have become emblematic of Russia’s current war against Ukraine.

The Guardian reports that Ukraine's Armed Forces have said in their morning update that they destroyed 35 drones launched by Russia, responsible for a wave of attacks across the country in the early hours of Monday morning. The drones reportedly caused damage to cars and apartment buildings, and injured civilians as they fell.

The Ukrainian military also said Russia launched 16 missile strikes on Kharkiv, Kherson, Nikolaev and Odessa overnight, as well as 61 airstrikes. It also reported 52 instances of enemy shelling and said “unfortunately, there are killed and wounded among civilians, damaged high-rise building, private residences and other civilian infrastructures", the Guardian said.

It warned: “The probability of further Russian missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high."

This comes just days after Russia said Ukraine was responsible for a mystery drone attack on the Kremlin, a claim President Volodymyr Zelensky vehemently denied.

Moscow branded the alleged overnight attack as a “terrorist act” and said Russian military and security forces had disabled the drones before they could strike. Unverified video footage circulating online appears to show smoke near the Kremlin - and Russian news agency Tass reported that the Kremlin considered the development to be a deliberate attempt on Vladimir Putin’s life ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations.

Ukrainian politicians have denied any involvement with the alleged attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We’re defending our villages and cities.”

It has also been theorised that the incident may have been a so-called 'false flag operation' conducted by Russia.