Sawt Falasteen - Wave of Russian drones, missiles kill two in Kyiv

The barrage came before Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was set to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Malaysia, and as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky pushes for more political and military support in Rome.

AFP journalists heard loud blasts echoing over Kyiv throughout the night and saw flashes from air defence systems lighting up the sky.

Zelensky said Russia had launched some 18 missiles and more than 400 drones in the combined attack and urged Ukraine's allies to roll out fresh sanctions on Moscow more quickly.

"Sanctions must be imposed faster, and pressure on Russia must be strong enough that they truly feel the consequences of their terror," he wrote on social media.

The fresh onslaught came just one night after Russia fired a record number of 741 long-range drones and missiles at Ukraine since launched its costly invasion more than three years ago.

The attack killed two women -- a 22-year-old policewoman, who was on an overnight duty at a metro station, and a 68-year-old Kyiv resident, and left 16 people wounded, authorities said.

AFP reporters saw firefighters putting out flames in a damaged residential building in Kyiv and people emerging from shelters, carrying sleeping mats and pets after the air alert was lifted.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said debris from downed Russian projectiles had sparked fires in several districts of the capital.

Three people were also wounded in Russian strikes in southern Kherson, regional authorities said, and one person was killed in Russia's western Belgorod region after a Ukrainian attack.

- Coalition call -

Russia's escalating attacks and record barrage this week point to a trend that have piled pressure on Ukraine's thinly stretched air defences and exhausted the civilian population.

Two rounds of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations this year secured more prisoner exchanges but made no progress on a ceasefire, proposed by the United States and Ukraine.

Washington's top diplomat, Rubio, will meet his Russian counterpart in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, a senior State Department official said.

Their meeting follows Donald Trump's recent expletive-filled comments about Vladimir Putin -- reflecting the US president's growing frustration with the Russian leader over the grinding war.

Trump accused Putin of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, adding that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.

Rubio and Lavrov last met in person in February in Saudi Arabia, following a rapprochement between Trump and Putin. The two diplomats have also spoken multiple times by phone.

Also on Thursday, Zelensky will join a call with leaders from around 30 countries in the Ukraine "coalition of the willing."

Zelensky said after the attack that he would speak to allies about "additional funding for the production of interceptor drones and the supply of air defense systems for Ukraine."

"The objectives are absolutely clear. Such Russian attacks must be met with a tough response," he added, vowing a firm response.

Britain and France are spearheading talks among the coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces.

Zelensky urged allies to speed up imposing new sanctions on Moscow, so that "they truly feel the consequences of their terror."

The office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that the call would cover "stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia".

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST