Kyiv and several other cities across Ukraine were shaken by explosions on the morning of August 26 as Russia unleashed a massive missile and drone attack.
The air raid sirens began blaring across the country just before 6 a.m., warning of the incoming assault.
Kyiv Independent reporters on the ground in the capital heard explosions shortly before 8:30 a.m., with more following just minutes later.
Another round of blasts was heard just after 9:00 a.m., coinciding with a report from Ukraine's Air Force that Russian MiG-31 fighter jets, known for launching Kinzhal ballistic missiles, were airborne.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed power outages in several districts of the city and later reported issues with the water supply on the right bank of the capital. Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, also announced emergency power shutdowns across the country due to the attack.
The assault was not limited to Kyiv.
Explosions were reported in Kharkiv, as confirmed by the city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov. Other cities hit included Odesa, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Khmelnytskyi, Kropyvnytskyi, and Kryvyi Rih.
In the city of Lutsk, located in northwestern Ukraine, an apartment building sustained damage, and the city's mayor, Ihor Polishchuk, later confirmed that one person had been killed.
Ukraine's Air Force initially reported the movement of 11 Russian bomber aircraft accompanied by numerous kamikaze drones targeting cities across the country. They later reported the launch of multiple groups of missiles of various types, with an additional six Russian bombers taking to the air as the morning progressed.
As the situation continues to develop, the full scale of the damage and casualties from this latest attack is still being assessed.
