The US has warned its citizens to flee Ukraine “now” in the aftermath of a barrage of Russian missile attacks across the country.
Sunday night into this morning saw the country rocked by a series of relentless attacks across a number of cities.
Kyiv was attacked for the first time in months and at least eight people died in the capital, with 24 known to be injured - but the death toll is expected to rise.
In light of the escalation, the US embassy in Kyiv sent out an urgent email to all Americans in the country, The Financial Times reported.
It read: "The U.S. Embassy urges US citizens to shelter in place and depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options when it is safe to do so."
The recent attack was said to pose a “direct threat” to US citizens in the country and in the communication they also listed a number of tips for people.
This included warning that the security situation in Ukraine remains “highly volatile” and could worsen at any moment.
It also advised people on how to act during missile attacks and how to seek safety.
Today’s vicious attack came in retaliation after the Kerch Bridge, a vital artery connecting Crimea and Russia, was bombed over the weekend.
UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat branded the strikes on Ukrainian cities "war crimes" while Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said they were "unacceptable".
The missiles launched overnight struck Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv and a number of other cities in an hours-long attack.
Videos and pictures captured the horrifying aftermath of the attacks with parts of Kyiv were left burning.
BBC presenter Hugo Bachega was reporting on Ukraine’s latest counter-attack when he was interrupted by the bombing.
The programme cut back to the studio as the journalist ducked off his chair and out of shot.
CCTV images from across the city also captured the destructive impact of the attack and in the aftermath cars were pictured burning as sirens rang across the city.
Officials confirmed that energy infrastructure was targeted in Lviv and Kharkiv in the attacks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Telegram, he said: "They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth...destroy our people who are sleeping at home in Zaporizhzhia. Kill people who go to work in Dnipro and Kyiv.
"The air raid sirens do not subside throughout Ukraine. There are missiles hitting. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded."
This all comes as Russia scrambles to respond to Saturday’s bombing of the Kerch Bridge - an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion.
The bridge was a key artery linking Crimea and Russia, built since the illegal annexation in 2014.
The last few months of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine have been marked by a number of successful Ukraine counterattacks.
But Putin’s forces have kept up the pressure in a number of hotspots, particularly in their efforts to break into Bakhmut.
In fighting here, the Ministry of Defence said Russia was utilising members of the Wagner privacy military and criminals recently sprung from their own prisons.
