Three killed in strike on central Kyiv, Ukraine says 8 hours ago Sarah Rainsford Eastern Europe correspondent Reporting from Kyiv Anna Lamche BBC News Reporting from London Three people have been killed in a Russian air strike on Kyiv overnight, Ukrainian officials have said.
The main destruction occurred in the central Shevchenkivskyi district, where there is now a deep crater in the road outside a business centre.
On Saturday morning, the main road has been cordoned off – but a few hours after the strike the neighbouring streets nearby are already busy with traffic.
It is the second fatal attack on Kyiv this month, following a strike on the city on New Year’s Day that left two people dead.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, local authorities say 10 people were wounded in a Russian strike on Saturday.
Ukraine reports that a strike on central Kyiv killed three people.
Eight hours ago. .
Sarah Rainsford. .
correspondent in Eastern Europe.
In Kyiv, reporting.
Lisa Lamche.
The BBC News.
reporting from London.
Ukrainian officials have reported that a Russian airstrike on Kyiv overnight killed three people.
The city’s residents heard two loud explosions at around 6:00 (04:00 GMT), followed by the sound of the air raid siren. Residents were urged to seek shelter after the ballistic threat warning was issued, but the missiles had already struck.
There is currently a deep crater in the road outside a business center in the central Shevchenkivskyi district, where the majority of the damage was done.
We witnessed damage to civilian buildings, but Russia has repeatedly targeted a military factory in the area. A couple was killed on the street inside their car, according to an official.
Earlier, officials said the attack claimed the lives of four people.
Emergency personnel are clearing the scene of the burned car wreckage, and the metro station, surrounding eateries, and businesses are also severely damaged.
The tall glass tower and main building of the business center, which had already been damaged in earlier attacks on this area, have been struck by either a second missile or a very large fragment, leaving them in a shell. By the time the missile hit, it was empty.
A Ukrainian forensics specialist inspected missile fragments gathered into a pile of twisted grey metal on the pavement next to the main crater.
According to markings on the missile fragments, the crater was caused by a direct hit with an Iskander-M ballistic missile, Andriy Kulchytskyy, head of the Kyiv Institute of Scientific Expertise’s Military Research Laboratory, told the BBC.
He clarified, “This particular site shows one impact.”. We have gathered debris, and there are more strikes. In this case, the missile struck the road directly. “.”.
The projectile landed before the warning sirens sounded, according to Mr. Kulchytskyy, because ballistic missiles move so fast that the sirens are unable to respond in time.
Cakes and pies are covered in broken glass after the front of a cake shop by the road was blown off.
The explosion destroyed a dental clinic next door. Staff members are working inside to salvage what remains intact from the debris.
One woman had a plastic Christmas tree still standing and was taking ornaments off of it.
She told the BBC, “It’s happened before, but never as badly as this.”.
“We got used to it,” she shrugged when asked how she felt. The war is in its third year. “..”.
“After three consecutive explosions, there was a large fire glow in the sky, and the building shook. “It was really noisy,” a young man named Oleksandr remarked as he was leaving a nearby apartment complex.
“I was awake at once, and I could even feel the wall trembling. The third strike was quite frightening. “.
The main road has been blocked off since Saturday morning, but the surrounding streets are already congested with traffic a few hours after the strike. Outside the market, joggers and dog walkers can be seen, and elderly women are selling gherkins and chickens.
However, we heard from a passing elderly woman that she was afraid.
“You usually go to the metro for shelter, but it was on fire, so I wasn’t sure where to run. “.
After an attack on the city on New Year’s Day that claimed two lives, this is the second deadly attack on Kyiv this month.
Meanwhile, authorities in Zaporizhzhia, a city in the south, report that a Russian strike on Saturday injured ten people. It is reported that one woman is in a serious condition.
These attacks are the most recent in the conflict that started in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
They come after multiple Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil earlier this week.
Trump’s promise to cut back US military and financial aid to the beleaguered nation has many Ukrainians alarmed, and the most recent strikes occur just days before Trump’s inauguration in the US.
During the campaign, the president-elect said he would put an end to the conflict on the first day of his presidency, but he has since stated that it might take six months.
As Russian airstrikes and front-line combat persist, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said repeatedly in recent days that his nation depends on US assistance.