Several Ukrainian cities came under an intense wave of Russian missile and drone strikes overnight, local media reported on Thursday.
The Kyiv Independent, citing authorities, reported that one person was killed and at least 11 others were injured in Kiev.
Residential buildings, including a hotel, were reported to be on fire in the capital, while multi-storey apartment blocks were damaged or destroyed. The report said dozens of missiles and cruise missiles had been launched.
The exact extent of the damage was not immediately clear, and the initial reports could not be independently verified.
The Kyiv Independent described the attack as one of the heaviest since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Residents in Kiev reportedly took shelter in metro stations, with many spending the night underground in tents.
After initial strikes on Wednesday evening, air raid sirens were triggered again in the early morning hours. The outlet reported that nearly a dozen Russian bombers were in the air, followed by what it described as extremely loud explosions that were audible even in deep underground shelters.
Air raid alerts and explosions were also reported in other parts of the country, including Zaporizhzhya and Pavlohrad in the south-east, as well as Sumy and Kharkiv in the north-east. Information on potential damage and casualties in those regions was not immediately available.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned on Wednesday of an imminent large-scale attack on Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference in Dublin during a visit marking Ireland's takeover of the rotating EU presidency, Zelensky said Russia carried out massive attacks with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles every one to two weeks.
"Today there is unpleasant information about the next preparation for such a massive Russian attack," Zelensky said.
He said he would return to Ukraine immediately after the press conference and urged people in his country to heed air raid warnings and seek shelter.
