Explosions were heard in the capital of Kyiv, Ukraine, with the army warning residents to take shelter as Russian forces advance further into their territory. Picture: STRINGER / AFP
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 10:30 am after almost a dozen people were wounded in a Russian drone strike on southern Ukraine overnight and a fire broke out at a major Russian power plant following a Ukrainian drone attack.
"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.
Russia has escalated air attacks on Kyiv in recent days, targeting key infrastructure in the wake of fatal Ukrainian bombardments on Russian border regions.