Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

This is the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since 8 July last year, when 34 people were confirmed dead and 121 injured after Russian strikes hit civilian infrastructure including the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital.

The latest attack follows a pattern of recent Russian strikes against Ukrainian population centres resulting in high numbers of civilian casualties:

• Kryvyy Rih (4 April, 21 dead)
• Sumy (13 April, 35 dead)
• Marhanets (23 April, nine dead)

As the Ukraine peace talks stall and Donald Trump has been putting pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a deal, Russian attacks show no sign of abating.

Russia will hope US holds Ukraine responsible if peace talks failpublished at 09:18 British Summer Time 24 April

09:18 BST 24 April

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor, reporting from Moscow

Whenever Donald Trump publicly criticises or blames President Zelensky, that goes down well in Moscow.

If President Trump fails to secure a peace deal and walks away from negotiations, Russia will hope the US president holds Ukraine – not Russia – responsible.

And not only Ukraine. But Europe, too.

That’s clear from this morning’s Russian newspaper headlines.

“Destructive thinking,” declares Izvestia. “Ukraine and Europe are scuppering Trump’s peace plan.”

“On the eve of talks in London Zelensky rejected key parts of Trump’s peace plan, putting American negotiators in an embarrassing position,” writes the Russian government paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

The paper calls this “a pre-planned provocation by European leaders…it’s practically a foregone conclusion that the US will pull out of talks on Ukraine.”

Blaming Europe (and encouraging the US to do the same) allows Russia to drive a further wedge between Washington and Brussels.

Meanwhile, Russia will be hoping that, whatever happens with Ukraine peace talks, the Trump administration will remain keen to improve relations with Moscow.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

• Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine last night, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 70 in the capital city
• Six children are among those taken to hospital, and the search for survivors continues as phone calls have been heard from the wreckage, officials said. Other parts of Ukraine also came under attack, including Sumy and Zhytomyr
• The "brutal strikes, show that Russia, not Ukraine, is the obstacle to peace", Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X
• Meanwhile, President Zelensky is in South Africa to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa. In the last hour, he cancelled part of the diplomatic trip to return home to Kyiv early after the deadly Russian attacks
• Before Russia launched its overnight attacks, US President Donald Trump accused the Ukrainian president of harming the peace negotiations and accused Zelensky of prolonging the "killing field"

Image source, Telegram/Vitali Klitschko

We can now bring you some updates from Kyiv's mayor, who has just confirmed that 77 people have been injured by Russian strikes on the capital.

Thirty one of the casualties are being treated in hospital, Vitali Klitschko says, and 12 buildings have been damaged.

Separately, Kharkiv's mayor has also provided an update about the Russian attacks on the north-eastern Ukrainian city. In total, he says there were 24 attacks - 14 drone strikes and 10 missile strikes.

Igor Terekhov reports that one of the strikes hit a "densely populated area" of Ukraine's second largest city - with windows broken in several high-rise buildings.

Two casualties have been recorded, he adds. A hotel complex, a school building and other infrastructure have also been damaged.

Image source, Reuters

More now from President Zelensky, who has just posted on X explaining why he's cancelling part of his trip to South Africa today.

He confirms he will still meet the South African president, but he is "cancelling part of the programme" and will return to Ukraine immediately after meeting Cyril Ramaphosa.

"The foreign minister of Ukraine will hold all the necessary meetings in South Africa to fully inform the country’s political and civil society leaders about the situation."

Zelensky goes on to say that Russia hit Ukraine with nearly 70 missiles overnight, including ballistic ones, and about 150 attack drones.

"The strikes must be stopped immediately and unconditionally," Zelensky adds, saying he is grateful to everyone around the world who stands with Ukraine.

President Zelensky is due to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa today as he tries to broaden its pool of international partners.

While he's still planning to meet the South African president, he says other events in the country will be cancelled as he is returning to Ukraine early after a Russian attack on the capital killed nine people.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

The primary target of Russia’s overnight attack was the capital Kyiv, the Ukrainian air force says.

In total, the air force says it shot down 48 missiles and 64 drones from Russia.

The attack involved 11 ballistic missiles, 55 cruise missiles, four glide bombs and 145 drones, the Ukrainian air force says.

Of those, seven ballistic missiles, 37 cruise missiles, four glide bombs and 64 Shahed drones were intercepted, and 68 drones not carrying explosives fell down without causing any damage, it adds.

F-16 and French-made Mirage jets shot down dozens of targets in repelling the attack, the Ukrainian air force says.

A Ukrainian MP tells the BBC the overnight attacks on Ukraine were "really awful", and that it doesn't seem any sort of peace is close.

Speaking to the Today programme, Oleksiy Goncharenko underlines Ukraine's need to end the war "as soon as possible".

But he says Ukraine has "red lines" - including that they will not recognise occupied territories as Russian - and security guarantees within any peace deal.

"I hope [Trump] will understand to achieve this peace you need to put pressure not just on Ukraine but on Russia too," he says.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

The overnight strikes show that "Russia, not Ukraine, is the obstacle to peace," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha says.

"Putin demonstrates through his actions, not words, that he does not respect any peace efforts and only wants to continue the war," he says in a post on X.

"Weakness and concessions will not stop his terror and aggression. Only strength and pressure will."

Sybiha's comments arrive not long after US President Donald Trump accused Ukraine's president of harming peace negotiations after Zelensky insisted that Ukraine would not accept Russia's occupation of Crimea.

Elsewhere, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal has also posted about last night's attacks on his Telegram channel, saying Russia "terrorised" Ukrainian cities "all night long".

"Ukraine insists on a complete and unconditional ceasefire," he says.

Zelensky's trip to South Africa reflects a changing worldpublished at 07:19 British Summer Time 24 April

07:19 BST 24 April

Mayeni Jones
Africa Correspondent, in Pretoria

This state visit would have been unimaginable just two years ago, when President Ramaphosa led a delegation of African leaders to Kyiv on a self-styled peace mission.

At the time, South Africa’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a source of frustration for Kyiv.

But the geopolitical landscape has fundamentally changed since that meeting, and both countries now have a lot more in common.

Both find themselves increasingly at odds with Washington. The US was one of their closest allies until the re-election of Donald Trump in November. Now Ukraine is keen to broaden its pool of international partners - particularly in Africa where many countries have strong links with Russia.

South Africa has also suffered from strained relations with Washington, which has expelled its ambassador and removed aid funding.

The Ukrainian authorities hope the South African government can help with initiatives such as securing the release of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

For its part, South Africa says its non-aligned position puts it in a prime position to help bring about a peace deal with Russia.

Image source, GCIS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

President Zelensky is in South Africa today - his first visit to Africa since becoming president in 2019, aside from a brief stopover in Cape Verde in 2023.

He is set to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as political, civil and student representatives of African countries.

"It is crucial to bring a just peace closer. We are working to ensure that the G20 countries are actively engaged in diplomatic efforts," Zelensky said in a post on X.

Zelensky will be officially welcomed by Ramaphosa at 11:00 local time (10:00 BST) with a press conference given by the two leaders at 13:15 (12:15 BST).

You'll be able to follow the news conference on this page - and we'll have analysis from our correspondent Mayeni Jones in Pretoria next.

As we've been reporting this morning, Russia has launched attacks across Ukraine overnight - with the strikes in Kyiv considered the worst by the country's interior minister.

Here are some of the images from the city overnight and into this morning.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Adam Easton
Warsaw correspondent

Poland has scrambled aircraft to secure its airspace during Russian strikes on neighbouring western Ukraine, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command says.

"Due to the activity of the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, which is carrying out strikes on objects located, among others, in western Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in Polish airspace," the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command says in a brief statement on X.

The Operational Command routinely issues such a statement when Russian missile strikes target western Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

We can bring you more now on Russia's attacks on Ukraine overnight.

As we've been reporting, at least nine people have been killed and more than 60 injured in Kyiv, with two people injured in Kharkiv.

Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, says six children are among those taken to hospital.

"Fires broke out in six locations," he continues, adding there are "people are under the rubble" of a destroyed residential building.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko says "phone calls can be heard from the wreckage" - adding the search will continue until everyone is accounted for.

Klymenko says other areas have come under Russian attack - including Sumy and Zhytomyr - although Kyiv is worst affected.

The Russian military has not yet commented on the attacks - this morning it said it had intercepted 87 Ukrainian drones, including two over the Moscow region, and 45 over Crimea.

Image source, Reuters

Before Russia launched its overnight attacks, US President Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelensky of harming peace negotiations.

After the Ukrainian president said Kyiv would not recognise Russian control of Crimea, Trump said the condition was "very harmful" to peace talks.

"Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago?" Trump wrote.

Trump added: "I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever.

"The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the 'killing field,' and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with 'no cards to play' should now, finally, GET IT DONE."

When asked by reporters at the White House about whether the administration was looking to recognise Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, Trump said he just wanted to see the war end.

He also said in the Oval Office on Wednesday evening that he found it easier to deal with Russia compared to Ukraine.

Earlier, US Vice-President JD Vance laid out the US vision for a deal, saying it would "freeze the territorial lines [...] close to where they are today", adding that Ukraine and Russia would both have to "give up some of the territory they currently own".

Image source, Reuters

Overnight missile and drone attacks by Russia on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, have killed at least nine and injured more than 60, according to local officials.

The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, says fires were sparked by falling drone wreckage, while there are concerns that people may be trapped under rubble.

Russia also attacked the north-eastern city of Kharkiv with two injured, the local mayor said.

The attacks follow US President Donald Trump accusing the Ukrainian president of harming peace negotiations.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump claimed a deal to end the war was "very close", but that Volodymyr Zelensky's refusal to accept US terms "will do nothing but prolong" the conflict.

We'll have more on the attacks, and the attempted peace talks, from our teams in Ukraine, the US, and around the world on this page.