Explosions have rocked Kyiv as African leaders arrived in Kyiv on Friday in a bid to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
The blasts came as a delegation of leaders from South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, Egypt and others travelled to Ukraine’s capital before talks with Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday.
The Reuters news agency reported that there were at least two explosions but said that it was not immediately clear if those missiles had been fired by Russia or Ukrainian air defences.
However, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramphosa said via a spokesman that the report was “deliberate misinformation”.
“We were all perplexed when we were taken back to the hotel and passed streets where people were going on about their day as normal,” said the spokesman.
“It’s very strange and is, in a way, deliberate misinformation.”
The all-clear was later issued for Kyiv, and the South African presidency tweeted that the trip was going ahead “as planned".
Ukraine’s air force said it had downed six ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and two drones.
Kyiv city officials said they had received no reports of deaths or serious damage so far, but police said there were an unspecified number of casualties.
The air attack was the latest in a long line of attacks since Russia launched its invasion in February last year.
Moscow has increased their frequency since Ukraine began preparations for the counteroffensive that is now under way.
“Putin ‘builds confidence’ by launching the largest missile attack on Kyiv in weeks, exactly amid the visit of African leaders to our capital," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. “Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace."
Russia has not immediately commented on the missile attacks.
The African leaders had begun their trip by visiting Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russia carried out war crimes, although Russia denies doing so.
The peace mission could propose a series of “confidence building measures” during initial efforts at mediation.
Suggested measures could include a pullback of Russian troops, removal of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, and suspension of implementation of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin.
However, Ukraine says the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine must be the basis for any settlement of the war.
