West News Wire: On Thursday morning, Russia launched a massive flurry of airstrikes against Ukraine, and reports of explosions at energy facilities came from all around the nation, including Kyiv, the nation’s capital.
A bombing in Kyiv. Keep shelters open, wrote Mayor Vitaly Klitschko on Telegram.
Videos posted on social media have revealed a city fire growing from an unidentified site. According to reports, the airstrikes have caused the Kyiv metro to suspend operations.
Due to the airstrikes, Ukrainian Railways has announced that several trains will be delayed.
The Black Sea port of Odessa also reported explosions, with at least two electrical substations being struck. Social media postings claim that there have been power outages and internet problems.
Blasts were also reported from Dnepr, Vinnitsa, Krivoy Rog, Nikolaev and from some other locations.
Ukrainian officials said that air defenses had been activated in Kyiv, Vinnitsa and Zhytomir Regions.
Earlier, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said that Russian missiles were incoming from the direction of the Caspian Sea.
Moscow has stepped up pressure on Ukraine since October last year, when it accused Kyiv of using “terrorist tactics” and of targeting Russian infrastructure, including the strategic Crimean Bridge. Since then, a number of large-scale missile strikes have been carried out against Ukrainian military installations and energy facilities, leading to rolling blackouts across the country.