A wave of Russian attacks killed at least 21 people in Ukraine, including two children, in Dnipro and the capital Kyiv, in one of Moscow's biggest attacks in recent months.

A hundred people were also injured, including several minors, after aerial bombardments that hit apartment blocks during the night.

Emergency crews rushed to search for people feared trapped under rubble in Kyiv.

In the early hours of Tuesday, airstrike alerts were issued across most of Ukrainian territory.

Last week, Moscow had warned that it would launch “systematic attacks” against Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of a deadly attack on a student residence in an occupied part of eastern Ukraine.

According to Kyiv, the bombing hit a Russian military unit.

Large plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the center of the Ukrainian capital, where the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, has urged people to stay in shelters.

“The enemy attacks with ballistic missiles,” warned the head of the Kyiv Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko.

Klitschko stated that there are fears that people are trapped under the rubble of the damaged buildings.

In Russia, the Krasnodar Krai emergency response center reported a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery following a drone attack. According to the emergency service, there were no victims.

The hum of drones and more than a dozen loud explosions could be heard early in the morning when the Russian attacks reached the Ukrainian capital.

The attack caused fires near a gas station, a construction site and several apartment blocks, as well as two houses, Klitschko said. Blackouts have also been reported throughout the city.

Separately, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 10 people, including a child, were injured overnight in drone and missile attacks on the northeastern city.

Further south, an industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia was also hit.

In total, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched more than 700 drones and missiles overnight, 642 of which were shot down.

In a statement released early Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said the attacks were in response to previous attacks by Ukraine.

“The objectives of the attack have been achieved, all designated objectives have been achieved,” the ministry stated.

Large scale attack

The strikes come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday reiterated his warnings about a possible large-scale Russian attack and urged residents to pay close attention to airstrike warnings.

"Warnings from intelligence services about Russian attacks remain in force. A massive attack is possible, they have prepared for it," Zelensky said in his late-night video address.

Last week, Russia said it would attack military and decision-making centers in Kyiv, and urged foreigners to leave the city in what it said was a response to Ukraine's deliberate attack on a residence in Strabolinsk.

At the time, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed that it carried out an attack near Starobilsk on the night of May 21-22, but maintains that it was against a Russian military unit.

According to the Ukrainian government, Russia's threats were "nothing less than blatant blackmail" and urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow.

Since a brief ceasefire expired in May, Russia has launched several waves of missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital, including the attack that hit an apartment block that killed 24 people, including three children.

A Ukrainian drone strike against the Moscow region killed three people, in what Zelensky said was a “fully justified” response to Russian attacks.

This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. Learn more about how we use AI.