Blasts heard across Ukraine, including capital Kyiv

ISTANBUL

Explosions were heard across multiple regions in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, early on Monday, leaving many areas with no electricity or water.

Authorities in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovograd, Kharkiv, and Odesa regions reported missile strikes in statements on Telegram.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed that the missile attacks hit critical infrastructure in the country in a statement following the explosions.

"Another batch of Russian missiles hits Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia fights civilians. Don't justify these attacks by calling them a 'response'. Russia does this because it still has the missiles and the will to kill Ukrainians," Kuleba said on Twitter.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the strikes served the "freezing" of the entire country.

"No doubts that world is curiously watching mass destruction, 'freezing' of the entire country live, and then really listens to RF's (Russian Federation's) 'negotiating proposals'," tweeted Podolyak, criticizing the postponement of air defense systems transfer to Ukraine "by all means."

Elsewhere, Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that part of the capital had lost electricity, adding that 80% of its consumers remained with no water supply.

Klitschko also noted that engineers were working to restore power to 350,000 homes in Kyiv.

"In three to four hours, we will return water supply to consumers on the left bank of Kyiv and partially on the right bank," Klitschko later said, adding that the city's water supply company, Kyivvodokanal, and the energy industry were working to stabilize the situation "as soon as possible."

Local authorities have also declared air raid alerts throughout the war-hit country.

On Telegram, officials from various regions said there was a strong possibility of airstrikes, urging civilians to take shelter.

One exception was the Crimea region, which has been under illegal Russian occupation since 2014. There have so far been no reports of air alerts there.

Russian forces have been launching successive rounds of airstrikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities over the past four weeks after an explosion damaged Russia's key Kerch Bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.