Rockets 'rained like rain', exploded loudly in many cities of Ukraine

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

Rockets rained down and large explosions occurred across Ukraine, according to the Associated Press, BBC and the Washington Post. Many buildings and energy infrastructure in Ukraine became targets in the first large-scale Russian attack in three weeks. Ukrainian officials said many 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 unclear 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. 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, the official said.

Houses in Ukraine were destroyed 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 reveal more details about the extent of damage or casualties in Ukraine's second-largest city. Meanwhile, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov posted on Telegram: "There were power outages 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 people in the area to stay in shelters," Mr. Marchenko posted 2 hours ago.

Ukrainian Railways also reported power outages in some regions. Five trains were delayed by more than an hour, and 10 trains were delayed by more than 30 minutes. Emergency power cuts were in place 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 continued 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 control of its eastern half. Moscow has been trying to take control of Bakhmut for months, causing heavy losses for both the country and Ukraine.

The Director of the US National Intelligence Agency, Ms. Avril Haines, said on March 8 that the conflict in Ukraine could last for many years, but Russia is not strong enough to launch new, major attacks this year. Ms. Haines said that the conflict in Ukraine has become a heavy conflict of attrition with no clear military advantage for either side.