<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Several explosions hit the centre of Kyiv- Ukraine's capital- on Monday morning, its mayor said. Clouds of black smoke could be seen rising from buildings in videos widely shared on social media.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, police said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"Most hits were in the centre of the capital," the police added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The head of the Ukrainian military said that Russian forces launched at least 75 missiles at Ukraine targeting the capital Kyiv, and cities in the south and west.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The terrorist country, Russia, has carried out massive missile and air strikes on the territory of Ukraine, also using attack drones. In the morning, the aggressor launched 75 missiles. 41 of them were shot down by our air defence," General Valeriy Zaluzhny said on social media.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The explosions took place around 0815 local time after months of relative calm in Kyiv and air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital more than an hour before the blasts, AFP reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ukraine's President Zelensky said that there were many dead and wounded in explosions across Ukraine. “They (Russia) are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the Earth,” Zelensky said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said that the blast a day earlier on the bridge over the Kerch Strait was "an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure". The Kerch Strait is a major supply route for Moscow's forces in southern Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services," Putin said. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>