Russia kills 25 in biggest Ukraine air strikes for nearly two months

FILE PHOTO: A general view shows a building damaged in the night by Russian drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

UMAN, Ukraine/KYIV (Reuters) - Russia hurled missiles at cities across Ukraine as people slept on Friday, killing at least 25 civilians in the first large-scale air strikes in nearly two months, as Kyiv said it was nearly ready to launch a huge assault to retake occupied land.

Firefighters tackled a blaze at a residential apartment hit by a Russian missile in the central town of Uman and rescue workers clambered through a huge pile of smouldering rubble, searching for survivors and bodies as anxious people stood by.