Russian assault claims 12 lives in coordinated strikes across Ukraine

At least 12 people have lost their lives, and scores more have been wounded as Russian forces unleashed a barrage of attacks across multiple cities in Ukraine.

The strikes, which hit residential areas and a maternity hospital, were described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an unprecedented assault, with the military reporting the use of 158 drones and missiles.

Ukraine's air force, bewildered by the scale of the onslaught, stated that they had "never seen so many locations targeted simultaneously."

President Zelensky said Russia had employed "nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal" during the strikes.

The assaults spanned major cities throughout Ukraine. The capital, Kyiv, was attacked, as was Lviv in the west, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia in the south, and Dnipro and Kharkiv in the east.

This offensive comes on the heels of the United States approving its final aid package for Kyiv. President Zelensky's aides, however, said that more support from the Western world is vital.

Earlier this week, Ukraine targeted a Russian warship in the occupied Crimean port of Feodosia.