Fresh Russian bombardment of Ukraine's capital kills at least 3 people, wounds others

KYIV – Russian forces began June with a fresh aerial bombardment of Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding others, authorities said.

Following up on a reported 17 attacks on the Ukrainian capital in May, mostly using drones, Russian forces hit the capital early Tuesday, damaging apartment buildings and a medical clinic. Two of the dead were children, according to city officials.

The toll of injured fluctuated in preliminary reports, but the casualties still were the most from one attack in the past month.

After a woman was killed watching an aerial attack from her balcony earlier this week, Kyiv authorities urged residents to stay in shelters or other safe locations.

Ukraine’s air defenses have become increasingly effective at intercepting Russian drones and missiles, but in some cases the resulting debris causes fires and injuries in buildings and on the ground. Preliminary indications were that Kyiv’s air defenses intercepted all incoming weapons early Tuesday, and that the latest deaths and injuries were caused by falling debris.

On Wednesday, Russian forces carried out three aerial attacks over the south of Kherson region, along with missile and heavy artillery strikes on other parts of the region.