Four civilians killed as Russia launches widespread missile attack on Ukraine

Firefighters examine the site of a Russian missile attack that hit an apartment building in Kharkiv (Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Sunyiehubov Office/ via AP)

Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles at a broad area of Ukraine early on Thursday, hitting multiple regions hours after a midnight strike in the country’s north east killed four people in an apartment building, authorities said.

Meanwhile, inside Russia, officials said Ukraine fired rockets against the border city of Belgorod, where Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said a shopping mall was hit and at least two people were killed.