Several loud explosions hit the center of the Ukrainian capital on Monday, Kyiv city mayor Vitali Klichko said. The blasts came a week after Russia’s massive, coordinated air strike across Ukraine following the damage caused to a bridge connecting Russia to Crimea.
Kyiv city mayor urged residents to take shelter as the early morning explosions damaged several apartment blocks. Videos and photos shared on social media showed fire after the strikes and black smoke rising into the morning light.
Last week, Russia targeted several cities in Ukraine which Russian president Vladimir Putin said was in response to the bombing of a bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula with the Russian mainland.
Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for masterminding the blast, which suspended traffic over the bridge hampering Moscow’s ability to use the bridge to supply Russian troops in the occupied regions of southern Ukraine.
