On Monday, multiple explosions rocked Kyiv, shattering months of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital.
According to Ukrainian officials, at least eight people were killed and 24 others were injured when Russian missiles attack on Kyiv
The explosions occurred just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of “terrorism” after the bridge linking Russia and annexed Crimea was severely damaged in a massive explosion that dealt the Kremlin a strategic and symbolic blow.
Following Putin’s remarks on Sunday, Ukraine braced for retaliation, which appeared to arrive early Monday.
NBC News reported hearing several explosions in the centre of Kyiv during rush hour. Local officials shared photos of incinerated cars and a cratered children’s park, while smoke was seen rising from buildings. Residents were forced to seek refuge in subway stations, while air raid sirens wailed in other major cities across the country.
“They are attempting to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth on the 229th day,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
The explosions occurred in the central distinct of Shevchenko, where several key government offices are located, according to the city’s mayor, Vitalii Klitschko. Explosions were also heard in the western Kyiv district of Solomyansky, he said.
“Russian terrorists are attacking the capital!” “The rockets collided with objects in the city centre,” he wrote on Telegram.
“The air alert, and thus the threat,” he said, advising residents to remain in shelters. He claimed that law enforcement officers had blocked central city streets and that rescue services had been dispatched.
According to Rostislav Smirnov, an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs, at least eight people were killed and 24 were injured.
All these attack on Kyiv were done just after appointing a new commander in Russia.
Explosions have also been reported in the administrative centres of Kropyvnytskyi and Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, as well as Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine.
Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of the local administration, said on Telegram that air defences were also operational in Lviv. Earlier, an overnight shelling in Zaporizhzhia destroyed a multi-story residential building, according to regional administrative head Oleksandr Starukh.