By DPA | Posted by TOE

At least 13 people were killed and 34 wounded in a major overnight Russian air attack on Kiev, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russia stepped up the use of ballistic missiles in strikes on the capital.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported a shifting death toll on Thursday before settling on 12. Clean-up operations were still under way, he said.

Ukraine’s civil protection service said 34 people were wounded.

Russia has recently increasingly used ballistic missiles in its airstrikes, knowing that Ukraine has been reporting a daily shortage of air-defence missiles.

“Tomorrow, August 21, will be declared a day of mourning in Kiev in memory of the victims of the massive enemy attack on the capital,” Klitschko said on Telegram.

Flags at municipal buildings will be flown at half-mast, while Klitschko recommended that government and private buildings also lower their flags.

Earlier, Klitschko said that residential buildings and other structures were damaged in several districts, while windows at a children’s hospital were shattered and fires broke out at several locations.

Several people were trapped in an air-raid shelter and others were trapped in a residential building, Klitschko said. The information could not initially be independently verified.

Air-raid alerts were issued across large parts of Ukraine overnight, with the Ukrainian Air Force warning of incoming ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

The latest attacks come as violence in Russia’s war against Ukraine has intensified, with rising civilian casualties on both sides. Both countries have increasingly deployed faster, more powerful and longer-range weapons.

Russia also reported hundreds of Ukrainian drone attacks in its latest wave of overnight strikes.