At least eight people were killed and 24 others injured after Russian missile attacks hit central Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
Several loud explosions were reported in the Ukrainian capital, following the sound of incoming missiles.
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The blasts came hours after Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of “terrorism” after the bridge connecting Russia and annexed Crimea was severely damaged in a huge explosion.
Following Putin’s comments, Ukraine was “braced for retaliation that appeared to arrive early Monday”, said NBC News.
As well as the Ukrainian capital, explosions have also been heard in Lviv, Ternopil, Dnipro, Zhytomyr and Zaporizhzhia, in “coordinated revenge attacks”, said The Telegraph.
Writing on his Telegram account, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “on the 229th day, they are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the Earth”, while Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said “the capital is under attack from Russian terrorists”.
Unlike previous attacks that mostly hit the outskirts of the capital, Monday’s strikes targeted several locations in the centre of the city, said Sky News.
“There’s been relative calm there in recent months,” wrote security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, adding that it is “very unusual to have strikes right in the heart of the city, where the government offices are”.
Ukraine’s defence minister said Russian attacks will not deter Ukrainians. Meanwhile, Putin is due to chair a meeting of his security council today to discuss the explosion on the Crimean bridge.
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