Kiev, 26 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Russia carried out massive airstrikes on Ukraine in the early hours of Monday morning, launching rockets, cruise missiles and drones.

Observers in Kiev described it as one of the heaviest air attacks in two and a half years of war.

Explosions were reported in the suburbs of the capital and the regions of Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil and Lviv, according to the official air-raid alert app.

Kiev is experiencing power supply issues, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian army deployed up to 11 Tu-95 long-range bombers, which are carriers of cruise missiles. Additionally, Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles were reportedly fired at Ukraine. The country was also attacked from the Black Sea.

There was no overview of casualties and damage. One death each was reported from Lutsk and the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Initial information indicated that Ukraine's energy system was once again a main target of the attack. The energy provider Ukrenergo imposed emergency shutdowns. The air-raid alert was still ongoing at 10 am (0700 GMT).

Due to the proximity of Russian attacks to the Polish border, the Polish military scrambled interceptors, the news agency PAP reported on Monday. Aircraft from other allies were also involved in the operation.

Ukraine has been repelling a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

On Saturday, Ukraine, the second-largest country in Europe, celebrated its 33rd Independence Day.

Reuters confirms death of British employee in Ukraine

A British man working for the news agency Reuters as a safety adviser was killed in a Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the agency has confirmed.

Reuters reported that Ryan Evans, "a member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine," was killed in an overnight strike on a hotel in Kramatorsk on Sunday.

His body was only recovered from under the rubble after several hours, according to the authorities.

Four people were recovered from under the debris with injuries, Vadym Filashkin, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said on Telegram. He had initially reported two dead.

The four injured were German, Ukrainian, Latvian and US nationals working for Reuters, according to Filashkin.

Reuters said that a team of six of its staff had been staying at the hotel when it was hit by the strike.

Two of its journalists were being treated in hospital, with one in serious condition, the agency said.

The remaining three team members were safe, it said.

According to the agency, Evans was 38 and a former British soldier who had been working with Reuters since 2022.

He advised the agency's journalists "on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics."

According to Ukrainian prosecutors, the hotel was hit by a Iskander-M missile.

Pro-Russian military bloggers confirmed the attack but said heavy-duty FAB-1500 glide bombs had been used in the strike which hit a manufacturing plant and several military objects.

Photo: Ukrenergo