Several blasts rang out in central Kyiv on Monday, AFP journalists reported, as air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital and officials urged residents to take shelter.
The explosions sounded at around 10:30am (0830 GMT) after almost a dozen people were wounded in a Russian drone strike on southern Ukraine overnight.
"Explosions in Kyiv. Go to shelters immediately," Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on social media, adding in a later post that emergency services had been dispatched to three districts of the capital.
The head of Kyiv's military administration said a Russian missile had damaged a residential building in the Pechersky district and details were being confirmed.
US Ambassador Bridget Brink said on the X social network on Monday that Russia had used hypersonic missiles. "Loud explosions in Kyiv. Over the last 5 days, Russia has launched hundreds of missiles and drones against a sovereign country," she said. "Ukraine needs our assistance now. There is not a moment to lose."
Russia has escalated air attacks on Kyiv in recent days, targeting key infrastructure in the wake of fatal Ukrainian bombardments on Russian border regions.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP & Reuters)
