Rockets 'rain down', big explosions in many cities of Ukraine

Three Russian missiles launched at the same time. Photo: AP

Rockets rained down and explosions rocked Ukraine, according to AP, BBC and the Washington Post. Many buildings and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure were targeted in the first large-scale Russian attack in three weeks. Ukrainian officials said several residential buildings were hit but did not say whether there were any casualties.

Air raid sirens blared for hours across Ukraine, including the capital Kiev. It was not immediately clear how many missiles were fired at targets in the Ukrainian capital or whether the sounds were from interceptor missiles activated across the country.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the explosions occurred in the Holosiivskyi and Svyatoshynskiy districts and emergency services were on their way there. According to the official, at least two people were killed and 15% of the capital’s districts were without electricity as the energy sector cut off power following the Russian missile attack.

Houses in Ukraine are in ruins after being attacked.

In eastern Ukraine, 15 rockets were fired at Kharkiv and the northeast, hitting residential buildings, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The official promised to release more details about the extent of damage or casualties in Ukraine's second-largest city. Meanwhile, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov posted on Telegram: "There was a power outage in some parts of the city."

Odesa Governor Maksym Marchenko also said that many energy facilities and residential buildings in the area were attacked. "The second wave of the attack will happen now, so I ask the residents of the area to stay in shelters," Marchenko posted 2 hours ago.

Ukrainian Railways also reported power outages in some regions. Five trains were delayed by more than an hour, 10 trains by more than 30 minutes. Emergency power cuts were implemented in Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Odessa.

According to Ukrainian media, several other explosions occurred in Chernihiv in the north and Lviv in western Ukraine as well as in cities such as Dnipro, Lutsk and Rivne, Ivano Frankivks and Ternopil.

The new Russian missile attack comes amid fierce fighting in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military said it had repelled intense Russian attacks on Bakhmut, despite Russian forces claiming to have taken control of its eastern half. Moscow has been trying to take control of Bakhmut for months, causing heavy losses for both it and Ukraine.

The US Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, said on March 8 that the conflict in Ukraine could last for years, but Russia is not strong enough to launch new, major attacks this year. Haines said the conflict in Ukraine has become a war of heavy attrition with neither side having a clear military advantage.