Explosions heard in Kyiv and Dnipro amid Russian ballistic attack

Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and in the city of Dnipro during an air raid alert, as Ukrainian officials reported a ballistic attack by Russian forces.

Residents in both cities took shelter as warning sirens sounded, a now-familiar routine after more than three and a half years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ballistic missile strikes are typically harder to intercept than slower-moving drones or cruise missiles, giving residents less time to reach shelter once an alert is issued.

Part of a continuing pattern of strikes

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian cities, including the capital and major regional centers such as Dnipro, with a mix of missiles and drones throughout the war, hitting both military and civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian authorities have consistently urged residents to heed air raid warnings given the limited time available to reach safety during ballistic attacks.

Details on potential casualties, damage to infrastructure, or the number and type of missiles involved in this particular attack were not immediately confirmed. Ukrainian officials typically provide fuller damage assessments in the hours following such strikes, once emergency services have completed their response.

The renewed strikes come amid continued fighting along multiple sections of the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, with both sides exchanging long-range strikes on a regular basis even as diplomatic efforts to end the war have continued intermittently without a breakthrough.