Kharkiv and Kherson targeted by missiles, while Russian capital suffers a rare hit from drones.

Russian missile attacks have killed at least eight people in Ukraine following a rare overnight drone strike on Moscow.

A Russian strike midmorning on Monday killed six people ⁠and wounded more than 30 others in the town of Merefa in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, officials said.

Civilian infrastructure was struck, including at least 10 houses and four shops. Governor Oleh Syniehubov added that two men and ‌three women were killed on the spot, and another man died from his wounds in hospital.

“Today during the day, the occupiers attacked civilian infrastructure of a town quite far from the front with a missile,” he said on Telegram, adding that it will take another day or two to clear the debris.

Russian forces appeared to have used an Iskander-type ballistic missile.

To the south, two men were killed during attacks on the Kherson region, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.

Russia has yet to comment on the strike in Kharkiv. Moscow has persistently denied intentionally targeting civilians since it invaded in February 2022, despite daily reports of deaths and injuries.

Rare attack on Moscow

In an overnight attack into Monday, Ukraine targeted Moscow with a drone strike on a residential high-rise in an upscale neighbourhood.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties in the attack on Mosfilmovskaya Street, an expensive district of the capital, 10km (6.2 miles) southwest of the Kremlin.

Russian state broadcaster Rossiya-1 published a video showing collapsed walls and broken doors inside a damaged apartment.

Two other drones targeted Moscow overnight but were repelled by air defence systems, Sobyanin said.

The unusual attacks on Moscow come five days before Russia’s annual Victory Day parade, which this year will be held without military hardware during the heightened threat from Ukrainian strikes.

“They fear drones may buzz over Red Square,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement as he joined European leaders at a summit in Armenia, referring to Russia’s decision not to involve cadets and military hardware at this year’s parade.

Kyiv in recent weeks has stepped up its strikes on Russian oil refineries, ports and depots. But Ukrainian drones infrequently reach Moscow, which is heavily guarded by air defence systems.