Russian strike kills 25 as Kremlin moves to annex Ukraine regions

In this image released by the Police Press Service, the view from a drone shows the site of a Russian rocket attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. A Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 23 people and wounded dozens, an official said Friday, just hours before Moscow planned to annex more of Ukraine in an escalation of the seven-month war. (Ukrainian Police Press Office via AP)

Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with missiles, rockets and suicide drones, with one strike reported to have killed 25 people.

The assault came as Moscow moved to fold more seized Ukrainian territory into Russia itself and under the protection of its nuclear umbrella, opening an internationally condemned and dangerous new phase of the seven-month war.