Russia pounds Kyiv in overnight missile and drone barrage; residential buildings hit | VIDEO

Kyiv: Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, early on Thursday, triggering explosions across the city, damaging residential buildings and sparking multiple fires, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing another "massive strike" on the capital. He urged residents to remain alert, follow air-raid warnings and be "especially careful".

Air-raid sirens sounded across Kyiv late on Wednesday night before waves of attack drones and ballistic missiles targeted the city. Residents reported sustained air-defence fire followed by a series of powerful explosions that shook several neighbourhoods.

Fires broke out at multiple locations, including a major blaze in the city centre, while many residents took shelter in underground metro stations with sleeping bags and pets after officials warned of an imminent large-scale assault.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to remain in shelters as ballistic missiles entered Ukrainian airspace. Emergency services were later dispatched after a nine-storey apartment building partially collapsed, with people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

Firefighters were also battling blazes in at least two districts, including one on the roof of a hotel and another at a residential building.

The full extent of casualties was not immediately known. However, Klitschko said five medical workers had been injured in the attack.

The overnight bombardment comes as Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone strikes targeting Moscow, Russian fuel infrastructure and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, in an effort to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war.

Speaking in Ireland before returning to Ukraine, Zelensky reiterated his call for increased pressure on Russia.

"Putin wants to keep fighting. That is why he must face conditions that make it impossible for him to keep this war going," he said.

The latest escalation follows Russia's warning to the United States over continued military support for Ukraine.

On June 25, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had repeatedly raised concerns with Washington over the supply of weapons to Kyiv, warning that continued military assistance could have wider consequences.

"In our discussions with Washington, we have repeatedly emphasised that supplying military equipment to the Kyiv regime could have unforeseen consequences for stability both regionally and globally," Zakharova said.