Russian missile attack on Chernihiv’s central square kills seven and injures 144 as Zelensky vows ‘notable response’

• See all our Ukraine war coverage

A Russian missile strike on a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv killed seven people, including a six-year-old child, and injured 144 on Saturday, authorities said. Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, condemned it as a “heinous” attack.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces would give “a notable response” to the “terrorist attack”. Of the injured, 15 were children, he said. Fifteen others were police, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said. Most of the victims were in vehicles, crossing the road or returning from church, he said. The strike occurred during the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Forty-one people were in hospital on Saturday, regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said.

Training had begun for Ukrainians to operate US F-16 fighter jets but it would take at least six months and possibly longer, the Ukrainian defence minister said. Oleksiy Reznikov’s comments on Saturday came two days after a US official said F-16s would be transferred to Ukraine once its pilots were trained.

Ukraine has begun discussing with Sweden the possibility of receiving Gripen jets to boost its air defences, Zelenskiy said on Saturday after meeting Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson. Zelenskiy cast the talks as preliminary, saying: “Today we discussed in detail the future steps regarding the possibility of opening the subject of receiving Swedish Gripens.” Zelenskiy also said that Ukrainian pilots had already begun training on the planes. Kristersson made no mention of Gripens in his remarks. The two leaders announced that the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on production, training and servicing of Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting northern, central and western regions overnight into Saturday. Civilian infrastructure was damaged in at least two regions, authorities said.

Russia’s defence ministry reported a flurry of Ukrainian drone attacks on Saturday targeting the regions of Moscow, Novgorod to the north-west of the Russian capital, and Belgorod, which borders Ukraine. The ministry said nobody was hurt. The Belgorod region, more than 600km from Moscow, is a vital stop on Russian supply lines and is frequently targeted by drones and missiles.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin said the Russian president listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscow’s operations in Ukraine, and other top military figures at the headquarters of Russia’s southern military district.

Zelenskiy vows to respond after attack on centre of northern city, reportedly involving drones, that killed six-year-old girl and injured 144

At least seven people were killed and 144 injured in a “vile” Russian missile strike that hit a theatre and a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said.

“I am sure our soldiers will give a response to Russia for this terrorist attack,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, delivered early on Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden. “A notable response.”