Ukraine war: Explosions in central Kyiv amid air raid warning

BBC News:

Explosions were heard in the centre of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Wednesday, the city’s mayor says.

Vitali Klitschko said blasts rocked the central Shevchenkivskyi district and emergency services had been dispatched.

Air defence systems are at work, Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba says.

BBC reporters heard loud explosions shortly after the air raid siren sounded. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure since October with missiles and drones.

Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv city’s military administration, said Ukrainian forces had shot down 13 Iranian-made Shahed drones early on Wednesday.

The body also said a drone fragment had hit an administrative building in the city centre and four residential buildings. But a spokesperson for the city emergency services told Ukrainian media that no victims had been reported in the strike.

Ukraine has accused Iran of supplying Russia with “kamikaze” drones used in deadly attacks on 17 October, which Tehran initially denied.

Iran later admitted sending Moscow a limited number of drones “many months” before the war.

In response, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was a lie and that many more Iranian drones were being used.

Kyiv governor Kuleba said: “The air defence system is operating. It’s important now to stay in shelters and safe places. Russia is continuing its energy terror against our country. But we are getting stronger daily.”

Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy grid in recent months in a bid to demoralise its population.

Global leaders have said the strikes civilians infrastructure amount to a war crime, but last week Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the attacks and said they were in response to blast on the Russian bridge to annexed Crimea on 8 October.