Ukrainian authorities issue air-raid alert for Kyiv; explosions heard across the capital shortly after

Ukrainian authorities early on the 22nd (local time) issued an evacuation order, warning of a possible ballistic missile attack, and foreign media reported that powerful explosions were heard multiple times in the capital, Kyiv, shortly afterward.

According to AFP and others, Kyiv city authorities issued an alert at around 4 a.m. and instructed residents to evacuate to safe places. Minutes later, multiple loud explosions were heard in Kyiv.

So far, there have been no reports of casualties.

Kyiv city authorities said, "An air-raid alert has been declared in Kyiv due to the threat of the enemy's use of ballistic weapons," urging citizens to remain in shelters until the alert is lifted.

The alert was later expanded to all of Ukraine at around 4:47 a.m., after the Ukrainian Air Force determined that Russian bombers had taken off.

Earlier, around midnight, a series of explosions occurred in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, killing one police officer and injuring 15 security personnel, local media said. The mayor of Lviv described the incident as a "terrorist attack."

Han Kyung-woo, Hankyung.com reporter case@hankyung.com