By Vladyslav Smilianets and Gleb Garanich

KYIV (Reuters) – Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile strike on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Saturday, killing three people in a central district, officials said.

Explosions rang out in the pre-dawn sky as air defenses thwarted the attack, which also wounded three others, according to the city’s military administration chief Timur Tkachenko.

A shopping mall, business center, metro station and water pipe were also damaged, he said.

“Russian forces initially launched drones and then a ballistic-missile strike,” parliamentary ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote on social media. “These acts only highlight the brutality and brutality of the enemy.”

Rescue workers walked through a flooded road as they sifted through the debris. The charred remains of a van can be seen in front of the station, whose facade is marked by twisted metal and broken windows.

As the sun went down, they were seen inspecting missile fragments and loading a body bag into a truck.

Air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian media that two missiles aimed at Kyiv were destroyed, but one of them was shot down at low altitude, causing serious damage.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which has denied deliberately targeting civilians.

Russia also attacked the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where the regional governor said 10 people were injured and the offices of an industrial facility were damaged.

The Ukrainian military said it destroyed 24 of 39 drones and two of four missiles launched by Russia in various parts of Ukraine during the overnight attack.

On Friday, a Russian missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, killed four people and partially destroyed an educational facility, officials said.

“All those who are helping the Russian state in this war must face the pressure of such an impact as these strikes,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media in response to Saturday’s attack.

Russia has carried out regular airstrikes on towns and cities far from the front lines since the start of its nearly three-year invasion of Ukraine, targeting critical infrastructure in particular.