Russian missiles strike two central Ukraine cities - local official

Russian missiles hit two cities in central Ukraine early on Saturday, damaging infrastructure and residential buildings, the head of the Poltava region said. A missile struck one of the infrastructure facilities overnight," Dmitry Lunin wrote in an online post. There was no immediate information about possible casualties, Lunin said.

Russian missiles hit two cities in central Ukraine early on Saturday, damaging infrastructure and residential buildings, the head of the Poltava region said. "Poltava. A missile struck one of the infrastructure facilities overnight," Dmitry Lunin wrote in an online post. "Kremenchuk. Many attacks on the city in the morning."

Poltava city is the capital of the Poltava region, east of Kyiv, and Kremenchuk one of the area's major cities. There was no immediate information about possible casualties, Lunin said. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Russia denies targeting civilians in the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched on Feb. 24, calling the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two "special military operation".