Attacks may have been expected – but this is a shock
The past three hours have seen wave after wave of explosions, not just here in Kyiv but all across this vast country, from Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the east, from here in the capital to Odesa in the south
For those of us who were here when Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February, there’s an element of deja vu. We’ve been told to spend as much time as we can in the basement, as further attacks, using missiles and drones, are expected
But this is also different. The explosions here in Kyiv are much closer to the centre. Not distant thumps from the suburbs, but loud reverberations close to streets and locations we’ve come to know well in the past eight months
It’s hard to tell what’s being targeted, but a statement from Ukraine’s ministry of culture said museums and the Philharmonic building had been hit
One video circulating on social media showed a huge crater in a children’s playground. Another showed a missile slamming into Mayor Klitschko’s glass bridge, a popular tourist spot and viewpoint above the Dnipro River
Symbolic targets? It’s hard, this early, to discern the logic. Meanwhile, President Zelensky says energy facilities are being hit all over the country
Two days ago, social media was flooded with videos and memes as Ukrainians wildly celebrated the attack on the bridge linking Russia with the Crimean peninsula
Today, the videos are all of shell-shocked residents, fiery debris and urgent warnings. It feels inevitable, but that doesn’t lessen the shock
Strikes target energy infrastructure – Zelensky
Russian strikes have targeted energy infrastructure throughout the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky says
Energy facilities in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and other regions have been hit, he says in a Telegram post
“They want panic and chaos, they want to destroy our energy system. They are hopeless,” he says
The second target is people, he adds
“Such a time and such targets were specially chosen to cause as much damage as possible,” he says, while calling for people to stay in bomb shelters
However, the Ukrainian leader makes a point of filming himself out on the street in Kyiv – something we also saw him do in the early days of the war
In pictures: Children’s playground in Kyiv hit, as missiles strike Ukraine
A playground in Kyiv is one of several civilian targets that have been hit by Russian strikes this morning
There have been reports of multiple deaths and civilian casualties in strikes on the capital and other cities around Ukraine
Many civilians are being treated for wounds caused by explosions, as the damage sustained by seemingly non-military targets is becoming clear
Wave of attacks across Ukraine
As we’ve been reporting, Russian strikes have been reported in a number of major Ukrainian cities this morning.
At least 75 missiles have been fired during the wave of attacks, says Ukraine’s military chief
At least eight civilians have been killed and 24 injured following a rare missile attack on the capital Kyiv, according to an aide to the interior minister. The city’s mayor says “critical infrastructure” was also hit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also highlighted strikes in Dnipro – and further blasts in Zaporizhzhia – saying Russia was “trying to wipe us off the face of the Earth”
The mayor of Kharkiv says missiles have hit an energy infrastructure site, causing power and water outages there
Missiles have also hit Ternopil and Lviv in the west, officials in both provinces say. The mayor of Lviv – a western city which has escaped the worst of the war – says parts of the city are without power
Explosions have also been reported in the regions of Sumy, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Kirovohrad
The BBC has not been able to independently confirm each and every strike, although its reporters witnessed blasts in Kyiv this morning
Russia is yet to comment on the strikes
Parts of Lviv without electricity, says mayor
Parts of the city of Lviv in western Ukraine are without electricity following strikes on key infrastructure, the city’s mayor has said
Posting on Twitter, Andriy Sadovyi said explosions had occurred at “a critical infrastructure facility” and that the operation of the city’s thermal power plants had been “temporarily suspended”
“Hot water is not provided at the moment,” he said. “Standby power generators at several pumping stations were started to restore water supply to the city. Part of the city without electricity”
He also said a third of the city’s traffic lights were not working and that, once alerts had been lifted, traffic controllers would be in place at the busiest intersections
Kharkiv strikes cause water and electricity outages
Russian missile strikes in Kharkiv have hit an energy infrastructure site, causing outages to the electricity and water supply in some areas of the city, Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekhov, has said
Three flights of missiles were seen over Kharkiv and “specialists and utility workers are doing everything they can to restore normal life in Kharkiv”, Terekhov wrote on Telegram
The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, also confirmed the strikes, posting on Telegram: “The enemy is striking Kharkiv. There are explosions in the city”
Absolutely constant warnings
For the last couple of hours, there has been constant strike warnings and the sound of explosions around the city
A little while ago we were warned that more missiles and drones were expected over Kyiv
Some of the explosions – the early ones – were in the centre of the capital
That is extremely unusual. It’s basically the first time the centre of Kyiv has been hit since the war began
Critical infrastructure hit in Kyiv – Klitschko
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko says missiles have hit “critical infrastructure” in the city
“The capital is under attack from Russian terrorists!” Klitschko adds in a Telegram post
‘They are trying to wipe us off the face of the Earth’ – Zelensky
Strikes across Ukraine this morning show that Russia is “trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the Earth,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says
In a Telegram post, Zelensky highlights blasts in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro, saying “the air alarm does not subside throughout Ukraine”
“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded,” he adds, before urging his compatriots to stay in shelters
Russia has not yet commented on this morning’s strikes
Attacks on Kyiv ongoing, regional head says
The Russian air attacks on Kyiv are not over and people must remain under cover, the head of the capital’s regional military administration has said
In a message to residents on Telegram, Oleksiy Kuleba reassures them air defence systems are working, but emphasises “that the air alert is still ongoing”
He also called on people not to photograph or film landing sites of missiles or damaged infrastructure in the capital
“People’s lives depend on it,” he adds
Lviv in western Ukraine attacked too
It’s becoming clearer this morning that Russia appears to have attacked cities around Ukraine, as well as its capital Kyiv
So far we’ve had reports of attacks on Dnipro in the centre of the country, Zaporizhzhia in the south and now Lviv, in the west of Ukraine
The regional governor of Lviv has confirmed on Telegram that the city near the border with Poland was hit this morning
Andriy Sadovy warned residents of the city to stay in bomb shelters and that schooling would be done online an hour after the air raid alarms had ended
He also said outages of mobile phone signals were temporary and would be restored as soon as possible
Strikes evidence of the Kremlin’s ‘terrorist inadequacy’ – Podolyak
As we’ve been reporting Russia has also attacked the centres of other Ukrainian cities this morning
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, says “deliberate attacks” on the centre of Kyiv, as well as strikes on Zaporizhzhia in the south and Dnipro in central Ukraine are more proof of the “Kremlin’s terrorist inadequacy”
Quote Message: Russia is not capable of fighting on battlefield, but capable of murdering civilians. Instead of talking we need air defence, MLRS, longer-range projectiles”
Russia is not capable of fighting on battlefield, but capable of murdering civilians. Instead of talking we need air defence, MLRS, longer-range projectiles”
Russian forces under pressure – UK
This morning’s strikes reported across Ukraine come amid “pressure on Russian forces” in north-eastern and southern regions, according to the latest update from the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD)
Moscow has been giving “high priority” to its operations near the eastern town of Bakhmut, the UK adds – saying the Kremlin’s troops have advanced 2km (1.2 miles) towards the town on two axes over the past week. It’s alleged that recruits from Russian prisons may be involved
This “grinding” campaign “highlights the imperative to deliver operational success”, the MoD adds
‘Our courage will never be destroyed by terrorist’s missiles’
Ukraine’s defence minister has said his country’s “courage will never be destroyed by terrorist’s missiles, even when they hit the heart of our capital”
Writing on Twitter, Oleksii Reznikov said Russian attacks would also not “shake the determination of our allies”
Quote Message: The only thing they demolish irreversibly is the future of [Russia] – a future of a globally despised rogue terrorist state”
The only thing they demolish irreversibly is the future of [Russia] – a future of a globally despised rogue terrorist state”
Kyiv blasts follow overnight strikes in south
This morning’s rare blasts in the capital Kyiv follow further strikes overnight in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia and in the Dnipropetrovsk region
“A multi-storey residential building was destroyed again. There are victims,” posted Zaporizhzhia regional governor Oleksandr Starukh on the Telegram messaging app at around 03:00 local time (01:00 BST)
Emergency services attended the scene, he added. Zaporizhzhia has been hit repeatedly in recent weeks, with dozens of people killed
Meanwhile, it was a “night of massive attacks” in Dnipropetrovsk, according to an update from the region’s own governor Valentyn Reznichenko, who accuses Russia of shelling multiple regions
Moscow has not yet commented on the blasts reported across Ukraine this morning
More blasts in Kyiv
More explosions have been heard just now in Kyiv
Reports of explosions have been coming in from all across the country
Media restrictions mean that we are not yet able to reveal the sites of the first impacts in Kyiv, but video of one of them, about a mile from our hotel, shows burning cars and debris, but no obviously substantial damage to surrounding buildings
This appears to be the most widespread set of Russian attacks since the early weeks of the war
