Ukraine hit by new round of missile attacks; Russian air bases report explosions

Russia launched a new round of missile strikes against multiple cities across Ukraine on Monday as Russian state media also reported explosions at two airfields in the country.

Ukrainian officials urged residents to not ignore air raid sirens, which blared in the capital of Kyiv and elsewhere, as missiles landed in multiple areas across the country.

The extent of the damage caused by the latest strikes remains unclear, but Kyiv for weeks has indicated Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter sets in. 

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that a “large number” of residents poured into the city’s subway stations, which for months have been used as shelters.

“Do not ignore the ‘Air alarm’ signal! Stay in shelters!” Ukraine’s state emergency service urged residents early Monday afternoon local time.

In the southern city of Mykolaiv, the city’s mayor indicated that power was promptly cut in the area following the strikes to avoid the possibility of fires.

Oleksandr Starukh, the governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, said a rocket attack killed two people and injured three others in the village of Novosofiivka, damaging civilian homes. Starukh said one of the victims was a child born last year.

“Eternal memory! We pray for the recovery of the wounded!” he wrote on Telegram, warning residents that there is a high risk of repeated attacks as he urged them to stay in shelters.

The latest barrage of strikes also came as Russian state media reported explosions at two air fields in Russia.

State-owned news agency TASS reported an explosion in an aircraft parking lot at an airfield near Ryazan, a city located about 115 miles southeast of Moscow.

Citing emergency services, TASS said the explosion killed three people and wounded five others. 

State-owned outlet RIA Novosti reported that as many as nine people were injured, also indicating a fuel truck caught fire and a plane was damaged because of the explosion.

Roman Busargin, the governor of Russia’s Saratov Oblast, indicated an apparent explosion at Engels Air Force Base, which is located near the Volga River north of Volgograd.

“Information about a loud bang and an outbreak in Engels in the early morning is spreading on social networks and the media,” he wrote on Telegram. “I want to assure you that no emergencies occurred in the residential areas of the city. There are no reasons for concern. No civilian infrastructure was damaged.”