Russia on Tuesday, Jan. 2, rained missiles on the Ukrainian capital and other cities, killing at least five people and injuring dozens, with downed rockets hitting high-rise buildings and sparking fires.
Kyiv Post reporters based in different city districts counted dozens of loud explosions as missiles approached the capital in the morning.
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"Kyiv - stay in shelters. Many missiles heading in your direction," the Air Force said on Telegram.
Ukraine said Russia fired at least 99 missiles, but it had downed 72 of them.
"The enemy used 99 air attack weapons -- missiles of various types," commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said on social media, adding that the air force "destroyed 72 air targets."
The city's military administration said fragments of downed rockets had fallen in several districts including on residential buildings.
As for now:
- In the Solomyanskiy district, two multi-storey residential buildings caught fire, one woman died, and at least 17 people were injured.
- In the Desnyansky district, fire from the missile debris occurred at a supermarket.
- Non-residential premises in the Darnytskyi district were damaged.
- In the Holosiivsky district, the rocket debris fell in an open area.
- In the Pechersk district, debris landed on the roof of a 9-storey residential building, another multi-storey building, and a private house.
- In the Obolonsky District, a fire broke out in a residential building, and debris fell on the territory of non-residential buildings and warehouses.
- In the Podolsky district, a fire occurred on the market premises; a gas pipe was damaged, and debris fell on non-residential buildings. There is a possibility of a residential building catching fire. The information is currently being verified.
- Shevchenkivskiy district experienced falling debris in an open area.
All emergency services are on call, and information about the victims is being updated. Due to the missile strike, there are issues with electricity and water supply in some city districts.
250,000 went without power in the Kyiv region after Russian strikes, a state operator reported.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that two people died and at least 49 people were injured in a multi-storey residential building in the Solomyanskiy district, where a fire occurred as a result of a rocket attack.
"There is a fire and heavy smoke in the building. All services are on-site," Klitschko wrote.
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Based in the Obolonsky district, a Kyiv Post correspondent reported multiple extremely loud explosions and the fire nearby with people screaming.
In the eastern city of Kharkiv, one person was killed and more than 20 injured by "at least four strikes" that damaged multi-storey buildings and civilian infrastructure in the centre, the head of the city's military administration, Oleh Sinegubov, said.
Russia said it had destroyed all "military-industrial" installations targeted Tuesday across Ukraine in a large-scale barrage that killed at least four people.
"The Russian army carried out a group strike with long-range high-precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles..." Moscow's defence ministry said. "The aims of the strikes have been achieved. All objects have been destroyed."
According to preliminary information, at least 10 Kinzhals were launched towards the capital, along with other types of missiles from multiple strategic bombers.
"Missile danger in areas where the air alert is on! Threat of launching cruise missiles from Tu-95MS aircraft. A total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air," the air force said on Telegram.
Hours earlier, the military warned that about 20 Russian strategic bombers were airborne.
After takeoffs detected from the far northern Olenya airfield and southern Engels airbase, there were multiple Tupolev Tu-95MS bombers in Russia's airspace, military officials said on Telegram.
Another four Tu-22M3 bombers had departed from Russia's Shaikovka airfield near the Belarus border.
Tuesday's attacks come a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces would intensify strikes on military targets after an unprecedented Ukrainian attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod.
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