WEB DESK
At least 12 people have been killed as Russian air strikes hit cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv.
In the central town of Uman, 10 people were killed and 17 others wounded when a missile hit an apartment building, setting it ablaze. In the central city of Dnipro, a child and a young woman were killed when a missile struck a house. Three people were also wounded in the strike. Capital city Kyiv was also rocked by explosions and air raid sirens and explosions were reported across the country. Two people were wounded in the town of Ukrayinka in the Kyiv region.
According to media reports, explosions were also reported after midnight in Dnipro, Kremenchuk and Poltava in central Ukraine and in Mykolaiv in the south.
The Ukrainian military said, it had shot down 21 cruise missiles fired by Russia.
The attacks come as Ukrainian forces are expected to soon launch an offensive with new military equipment, including tanks, from its Western allies after Russian forces made headway in a winter offensive.