Russia strikes Kyiv with barrage of drones and missiles on first day of school year

Firefighters extinguish a fire after a rocket hit a building of a higher education institution in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv Credit: AP

Russia has struck Ukraine's capital Kyiv with drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles overnight, leaving three people injured.

The attack damaged two nurseries as children in Ukraine prepared to return to school after the summer holidays.

A series of explosions were reported in the early hours of the morning, starting multiple fires, and sending debris across Kyiv.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 35 missiles of various types and 26 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight.

Nine ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles and 20 drones were downed, it added.

“There will be an answer for everything. The enemy will feel it,” the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, posted on his Telegram page following the attack.

Ministry of Defence said Russia were accelerating their advance on eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Ukrainian forces are also continuing their incursion into Russia's Kursk region, where they claimed to have captured more than 590 Russian soldiers.

Russian air defences intercepted 158 Ukrainian drones during the night on Saturday night, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, Russia's Defence Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin today arrived in Mongolia which is a member of the International Criminal Court who has issued a warrant for Putin's arrest on charges of war crimes.

Vladimir Putin walks next to Mongolian Foreign Minister, Batmunkh Battsetseg upon his arrival at Ulaanbaatar's International airport

Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Putin and hand him over to the court in The Hague. A spokesperson for Putin said last week that the Kremlin isn’t worried about the visit.

Members of the international court are bound to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued, but the court doesn’t have any enforcement mechanism.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...