Star Metro - Russian strikes on Kyiv kill at least two

The major attack on Ukraine was the second by Moscow in as many days, and came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was set to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Malaysia.

AFP journalists in Kyiv heard loud blasts echoing over the city throughout the night and saw flashes from the air defence system lighting up the sky.

"The enemy's massive night attack on Kyiv region lasted for almost 10 hours," Mykola Kalashnyk, the Kyiv region's military administration chief, wrote on Telegram.

"The enemy used strike drones and missiles against peaceful settlements."

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said two people were killed in the Russian attack. He earlier said 13 people were wounded.

Dozens of residents of the capital took shelter overnight in a central metro station, an AFP reporter said, sleeping on mats, calming pets and waiting out the attack on camping furniture.

The Kyiv city military administration had warned of a "threat of enemy use of ballistic weapons", and Ukraine's air force said "a group of missiles" had approached Kyiv from the east.

Ukraine's air alert warning was lifted later Thursday morning.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said falling debris sparked fires at buildings in the capital districts of Solomyansky and Shevchenkivsky.

In another district, Darnytsky, falling drone debris caused fires at garages and a gas station.

Three people were also wounded in Russian strikes in southern Kherson, according to the region's military administration.

- Coalition call -

The latest Russian assault comes a day after Moscow pummelled Ukraine with its largest missile and drone attack in more than three years of war, killing at least one civilian.

Russia's record barrage points to a trend of escalating attacks that have piled pressure on Ukraine's thinly stretched air defences and exhausted the civilian population.

Two rounds of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations this year have increased prisoner exchanges but made no progress on securing a ceasefire, proposed by the United States and Ukraine.

Washington's top diplomat, Rubio, will meet his Russian counterpart in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, a senior State Department official said.

Their meeting follows Donald Trump's recent expletive-filled comments about Vladimir Putin -- reflecting the US president's growing frustration with the Russian leader over the grinding war.

Trump accused Putin of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, adding that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.

Rubio and Lavrov last met in person in February in Saudi Arabia, following a rapprochement between Trump and Putin. The two diplomats have also spoken multiple times by phone.

Also on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will join a call with leaders from around 30 countries in the "coalition of the willing" on Ukraine.

Britain and France are spearheading talks among the coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces.

The office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that the call would cover "stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia".

L.Girard--SMC