Russia launches its second early-morning missile strike in three days against Ukraine.

​Russia launched a series of missiles at Ukrainian cities in the second pre-dawn attack in three days. Pavlohrad, a logistics hub near Dnipro, was hit ahead of a counter-offensive by Ukraine. The strike caused a major fire, destroyed dozens of houses, and wounded 34 people. The air raid alert sounded in Kyiv and all missiles and drones directed at the capital were destroyed. In the Kherson region, 39 shellings were reported, with one person killed. Recent days have seen an increase in attacks in Ukraine, targeting places away from the front lines. Ukraine is preparing for an offensive against Russian forces, supported by Western-supplied weapons and equipment. Russia has fortified its positions in occupied territory, and Ukraine has ousted Russian forces from Bakhmut, an eastern city under siege.​