Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's capital set off fires, wound 11

Russian missile and drone strikes have hit Kiev, triggering fires and injuring at least eleven people, the mayor said, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a “massive attack”.

The attack came on Thursday after the Ukrainian air force warned that ballistic missiles were headed towards the capital and followed Zelenskyy's cutting short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike.

AFP news agency journalists in central and eastern Kiev heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents — some with children and pets — rushing into metro stations being used as shelters.

"Kiev is under attack from ballistic missiles and UAVs," Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that blasts could be heard across the city. "The enemy continues to launch missiles at the capital," he said.

Several healthcare workers were wounded in the Shevchenkivskyi district, one of whom was in a critical condition, the mayor added in a later post.

The attacks set off fires, destroyed a residential building and damaged a medical facility, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kiev's military administration, said on Telegram.

Hours earlier, an AFP reporter witnessed an explosion in central Kiev during an air-raid alert, followed by a cloud of smoke and flames. Firefighters and ambulances were at the scene.

Around 50 minutes later, a second blast erupted near the initial impact site, sending debris into the air.

'Use shelters'

Zelenskyy said earlier on Wednesday that he was rushing home from a visit to Dublin due to intelligence reports that Russia was about to launch a massive attack.

"I urge our people to be especially careful, to protect themselves, their children, and, of course, their families; to use shelters and heed air raid alerts in Ukraine — this is very important," he told a news conference.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin "has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time now".

Ukraine has also stepped up long-range drone attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure and military targets.

Russian officials have reported repeated strikes in border regions, while Moscow has said its air defences had intercepted hundreds of drones from Ukraine in recent days.

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Source: TRT