Wave of ‘massive’ strikes hits major cities including Kyiv
Russia has launched massive missile strikes across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, causing power and water outages, Ukrainian officials say.
At least two blasts were reported in Kyiv. One resident said his district was now without electricity.
In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, critical infrastructure facilities were hit, the local authorities said.
The strikes come after Russia blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet in the annexed Crimea.
On Monday morning, missile strikes were also reported in the central Vinnytsia region, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, and Lviv in western Ukraine.
A facility at the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant in the Zaporizhzhia region was also reportedly hit.
In Kyiv, a facility that powers 350,000 apartments was damaged, with engineers urgently deployed to restore the supply.
It was not immediately known if there were any casualties.
Residents in the regions under attack were urged to remain in shelters, amid fears more strikes could follow.
Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian TV that Russia had used its strategic bombers to carry out its “massive” strikes.
A number of Russian missiles were shot down, Ukrainian officials said.
Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, said that “Russian losers are continuing to fight against peaceful objects”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that “instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia fights civilians”.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, tweeted: “Like millions of Ukrainians, our @USEmbassyKyiv team is once again taking shelter as Russia continues its callous and barbaric missile strikes on the people of Ukraine in an effort to leave the country cold and dark as we approach winter.”
Agencies