Russia has launched a series of missiles at Ukrainian cities in the second pre-dawn attack in three days.
Pavlohrad, a logistics hub near the central city of Dnipro, was hit ahead of a much-anticipated counter-offensive by Ukraine.
The strike sparked a major fire, destroyed dozens of houses, and wounded 34 people.
Hours later, the air raid alert sounded across the country, with the capital, Kyiv, among the targets.
Across the country, the Ukrainian army said it shot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles that had been fired.
The most significant damage was in Pavlohrad, a city in Ukrainian-held territory around 70 miles (110km) from the frontline. Pictures posted on social media showed a massive blaze.
One resident, Olha Lytvynenko, said she was getting dressed to leave their house when “both doors were smashed out by the explosion wave”.
“I ran outside and saw that the garage was destroyed. Everything was on fire, glass shards everywhere. Had we been outside, we would have been killed,” she said.
Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk military administration described it as a “tragic night and morning”, saying an industrial site had been hit.
Nineteen high-rise apartment blocks, 25 private houses, six schools and kindergartens and five shops were also damaged, it added.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official, said the strike targeted railway infrastructure and fuel depots, in a message on Telegram with a thumbs-up gesture.
At around 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) the air raid alert sounded in Kyiv and lasted for about three hours.
The military administration said all missiles and drones directed at the capital were destroyed.
-BBC
