Ukraine Authorities Sound Alert In Kyiv After 'Air Attack' Post Russia's New Year Assault

The 'air attack' comes after a New Year assault by Russia that saw Kyiv and other cities under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones.

Bystanders look at a crater next to an educational building in Kyiv on January 1, 2023, which was damaged by a missile strike on the previous day, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ( Image Source :AFP )

New Delhi: An alert was in effect for Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv on Monday after an "air attack", the city's military administration announced, with the mayor citing an explosion in one district that left one person injured, as reported by the news agency AFP. The “air attack” in the early morning on Monday comes after a New Year assault by Russia that saw Kyiv and other cities under fire from missiles and Iranian-made drones.

The warning from Kyiv's military administration came just after 1 am local time (2300 GMT), AFP reported. "Air attack on Kyiv... Air alert is on in the capital," the administration announced on the messaging app Telegram. The city's military administration head, Serhiy Popko, called for people to "stay in shelters".

Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in Kyiv's northeastern Desnyanskyi district and said "emergency services are on their way". "An injured 19-year-old man was hospitalised in the Desnyanskyi district of the capital," Klitschko said around 1:20 am as quoted by AFP.

The air attack triggered the Kyiv region air defence system, said Oleksii Kuleba, the head of the Kyiv region's military administration. "Danger persists in Kyiv region! Our air defence forces are working on the targets," Kuleba said as quoted by AFP. "The main thing now is to stay calm and stay in shelters until the alarm is off."

The attacks by Russian forces on Saturday killed three people in Kyiv and other cities, and a fresh attack Sunday killed one person in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.

Massive explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday following a barrage of at least 20 cruise missiles fired at targets across Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday citing Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The attacks on New Year came after a barrage of at least 20 cruise missiles fired at targets across Ukraine.

The first explosions of the new year started at 30 minutes after midnight, according to Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, who posted on Telegram. They impacted two districts. There were no recent reports of casualties, he claimed. Quoting the city military administration, Al Jazeera reported and said that 23 Russian-launched "air objects" had been destroyed and that air defence systems were working.

Ukraine shot 12 of more than 20 cruise missiles fired by Russia down on Saturday, Ukrainian media publication, The Kyiv Independent reported.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine, reported that 12 of the more than 20 cruise missiles fired by Russia were destroyed by the air force. He stated that they were launched from ground-based launchers and the Caspian Sea.

(With agencies' Inputs)