Russian Missile Barrage Kills 18, Injures 77 In Historic Ukraine City

Rescuers were removing mountains of rubble on Thursday from the site of a lethal Russian missile strike on Ukraine's historic city of Chernigiv, where at least 18 people were killed in an attack that has prompted fresh pleas for allies to boost Kyiv's overstretched air defence systems.

Three Russian missiles crashed into the northern Ukrainian city on Wednesday, leaving pools of blood on the street at the scene of one strike, where rescue workers searched for survivors and carried away the wounded on stretchers.

The official death count rose to 18 as of Thursday morning, with 77 people -- including four children -- injured, according to Ukraine's emergency services department.