India, May 24 -- Russia unleashed one of the heaviest aerial assaults on Kyiv in months early Saturday, launching waves of ballistic missiles and drones at the Ukrainian capital just hours after President Vladimir Putin publicly vowed retaliation for a deadly strike in Russian-controlled Luhansk that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

The overnight bombardment shook apartment blocks across Kyiv, sent civilians rushing into underground metro stations and bomb shelters, and intensified fears that the Ukraine war is entering a far more dangerous phase marked by escalating retaliation attacks deep beyond the front line. Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed and more than 20 injured as fires erupted across several districts following mi...