Russia launches ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv: Mayor

Russia launched a wave of ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine early Thursday, with explosions reported in the capital Kyiv and several other cities as officials warned residents to remain in shelters.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the city was under ballistic missile attack and that the threat of further strikes continued.

“Stay in shelters!” Klitschko said, adding that fires broke out in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district due to falling debris from intercepted missiles.

He also reported a fire at a non-residential area in Obolonskyi district.

Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency also reported that explosions were heard in Kyiv, Poltava and Kryvyi Rih amid an ongoing air raid alert.

The attacks came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing another large-scale strike against Ukraine.

“The Russians prepared a massive attack several days ago, and there is a high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post, urging Ukrainians to pay attention to air raid alerts.