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Russia has carried out missile strikes on Ukraine’s two biggest cities – damaging apartment buildings and killing at least 18 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The attacks on the capital Kyiv and second largest city Kharkiv came after Moscow shunned any deal backed by Ukraine and its Western allies to end the nearly two-year war.

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The strikes also come two days after Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine claimed that Ukrainian shelling had killed 27 people on the outskirts of Russian-occupied Donetsk.

In his nightly address, President Zelenskyy said Russian missile strikes killed 18 people and injured more than 130.

He also added that more than 200 sites were struck, including 139 dwellings.

Officials in Kharkiv had earlier said that eight had died in an attack on an apartment building.

The Russian barrage included more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles, officials said earlier on Tuesday. Ukraine‘s air force said it had intercepted 21 of them.

Russia used S-300, Kh-32 and hypersonic Iskander missiles in the attack.

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Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said the temperature in the city overnight was -7C (19F).

Lying about 18 miles (30km) from the border with Russia, Kharkiv has often felt the brunt of Russia’s winter campaign of long-range strikes that commonly hit civilian areas.

The attacks keep Ukrainians on edge while the 930-mile long (1,500km) frontline has barely budged.

Both sides’ inability to deliver a knockout punch on the battlefield has pushed the fighting towards trench and artillery warfare.

Analysts say the Kremlin’s forces stockpiled missiles at the end of last year to press a winter campaign of aerial bombardment.

There appears to be little chance of an end to the war anytime soon.

Moscow rejects any Western-backed peace deal

Russia’s foreign minister defied the United States and other Ukraine supporters at a UN meeting on Monday, ruling out any peace plan they support.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat, claimed that Ukrainian forces had been “a complete failure” on the battlefield and were “incapable” of defeating Russia.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine committed a “monstrous terrorist act” when he accused the country of carrying out shelling which left 27 people dead in Donetsk on Sunday.

But the Ukrainian military denied it had anything to do with the attack.

Mr Peskov said Tuesday’s attacks should not be seen as Moscow’s response to the Donetsk strike.

He repeated the Kremlin’s argument that its forces do not strike civilian areas, although there is substantial evidence to the contrary.

The Ukrainian civilian deaths have helped stir international outrage over Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, and Ukrainian officials have pointed to the attacks in their efforts to secure further military aid from the country’s allies.

NATO signed a $1.2bn (£950m) contract to make tens of thousands of artillery rounds to replenish the dwindling stocks of its member countries.

The contract will allow allies to backfill their arsenals and provide Ukraine with more ammunition.

British and US aid workers have been asked to leave Yemen by Houthi authorities in the country, a letter seen by Sky News shows.

In the letter to the country’s United Nations coordinator, the Houthi-controlled foreign affairs ministry requests aid workers with US and British citizenship to leave within 30 days.

It follows the second set of joint UK and US airstrikes against Houthi forces, aimed at stopping raids on shipping in the Red Sea.

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The letter also calls on aid agencies not to recruit any workers with dual nationalities from the UK and US in the next 30 days.

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The full letter reads: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen extends its best regards to the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sanaa, and through them to all offices of humanitarian organisations working in the Republic of Yemen.

“The ministry would like to emphasise the necessity of informing all officials and workers who hold American and British citizenship of their preparation to leave the country within a maximum period of 30 days from the date of this determination so they will be ready to leave immediately upon the expiration of the period referred to, and the ministry will be sure to inform you via a ministerial letter 24 hours before departure.

“The ministry also calls upon [the humanitarian organisations] not to recruit any employees with dual nationalities from those countries mentioned above during this period.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen takes this opportunity to express appreciation and respect to the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator.”

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Why have the UK and US launched more strikes on Yemen?

The UK and US have been carrying out the strikes in retaliation for Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said last night that the second round of strikes was a “success”.

In a post on X, Mr Shapps posted: “I want to thank all members of the Armed Forces involved in last night’s operations against Houthi targets.

“Their dedication, professionalism and skill made the operation a success, degrading the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners,” he said.

Last night’s strikes targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities, a joint statement from the UK, US, Bahrain, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands said.

The Ministry of Defence said four RAF Typhoons, supported by a pair of Voyager tankers, “joined US forces in a deliberate strike against Houthi sites in Yemen”.

It added that Paveway IV precision-guided bombs were used to strike “multiple targets at two military sites in the vicinity of Sanaa airfield”.

The MoD continued: “These locations were being used to enable the continued intolerable attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea.”

It said a “very rigorous analysis” was used to minimise any risk of civilian casualties, which included the decision to attack at night.

The Houthis support Hamas and have been attacking ships they claim are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. However, several of the group’s attacks have been on vessels from other countries.

Watch our new foreign affairs show, The World with Yalda Hakim, from Monday to Thursday between 9pm and 10pm on Sky News.