In a deadly escalation of the ongoing conflict, Russia has launched a second straight day of missile and drone attacks on several regions in Ukraine, resulting in the loss of at least five lives. This comes after Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian energy infrastructure with more than 200 missiles and drones on Monday.

On Tuesday, regional officials reported that two people were killed when a missile struck a hotel in the city of Kryvyi Rih, effectively "wiping it out." In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, three individuals lost their lives in drone attacks. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, condemned the attacks and called for joint air defense operations and the provision of long-range weapons capabilities by allied countries.

The Ukrainian air force revealed that it successfully downed five out of ten incoming Russian missiles and an impressive 60 out of 81 drones in Tuesday's attacks. However, it lost track of 10 more drones, which potentially landed within Ukrainian territory. Furthermore, one drone crossed into Belarusian territory, while 10 others remained airborne in Ukrainian airspace as of Tuesday morning.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, a high-precision weapons strike was executed during overnight operations. However, Moscow has denied intentionally targeting civilians since their full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, despite the thousands of lives already lost.

In Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, the military administration stated that the city's air defenses successfully neutralized all incoming targets aimed at the city. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties, and any small fires caused by debris were promptly extinguished by emergency services.

Regrettably, the hotel in Kryvyi Rih suffered heavy damage, leaving two civilians potentially trapped under the rubble. The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lisak, reported on Telegram that five individuals were injured in the hotel attack. Additionally, three individuals were injured in the Zaporizhzhia region, and four others were hurt in a missile strike on the northeastern region of Kharkiv overnight, as confirmed by local authorities.

As tensions continue to escalate between Russia and Ukraine, the international community closely watches the situation, hoping for a swift resolution and an end to the devastating loss of life and destruction. The Ukrainian government seeks support from its allies to protect its people and retaliate against the aggressor.