Russian forces launched a barrage of missile strikes on cities across Ukraine Friday, killing at least 25 people, Ukrainian officials said.

Why it matters: This is Russia's largest wave of airstrikes in nearly two months, and its first missile attacks on Kyiv since early March. The barrage comes as Ukraine prepares for a much-awaited spring counter-offensive.

Driving the news: A strike on a residential building in the central city of Uman killed at least 23 people including four children, Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs wrote in a Telegram post.

• In Dnipro, a 2-year-old girl and her mother were killed after a missile struck a house, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.
• Ukrainian forces successfully shot down 21 of the 23 cruise missiles launched by Russia as well as two drones, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, wrote in a Telegram post.
• Eleven missiles and two drones were shot down over the Kyiv region, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

The big picture: Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told an online news briefing Friday that Ukrainian forces are "to a high percentage ready" to launch their counter-offensive, Reuters reported.

• "As soon as there is God's will, the weather and a decision by commanders, we will do it," he added.
• "This Russian terror must face a fair response from Ukraine and the world. And it will," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post after the strikes. "Every such attack, every evil act against our country and people brings the terrorist state closer to failure and punishment."

Editor's note: This story was updated with new details.