Explosions rang out across Kyiv on Monday as Russia launched its 16th air attack on the Ukrainian capital this month, hours after unleashing dozens of missiles and drones overnight.
Panicked residents, some of whom initially ignored the air raid siren as they ate breakfast in cafes, rushed for cover when the sky filled with smoke trails and blast clouds.
All the Russian missiles were shot down, but one person in the central Podil district was taken to hospital, authorities said. No major damage was reported.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions sounded in the capital’s central districts and emergency services were dispatched.
“The attack on Kyiv continues. Don’t leave the shelters!” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine shot down 11 cruise and ballistic missiles fired in the second of Monday’s attacks on Kyiv, said Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Heavy air strikes about six hours earlier had targeted the capital, put five Ukrainian aircraft out of action in the west of the country and caused a fire in the Black Sea port of Odesa.
“I would say there has been an activisation, a serious activisation…there are fewer missiles flying, but the regularity of strikes has increased,” said air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat.
Russia’s main targets are typically stocks of Western weapons, energy facilities and government buildings, but the fact the missiles over Kyiv were shot down made it difficult to establish their target on Monday, he said.
Russia has increased the frequency of air attacks as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive.
Kyiv metro stations were packed with people taking shelter although many residents ignored the air raid alarm until they heard loud blasts in city centre.
A local television report from a junction on a busy highway showed missile wreckage that appeared to have hit a traffic light.
(Reuters)