Air raid alert activated across Ukraine, including capital Kyiv

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Air raid alerts were activated across all regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, including the capital Kyiv, due to possible Russian airstrikes.

Local authorities urged residents to take shelter until the alarms are deactivated.

No warnings were reported in the Crimea region, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

The sirens came after Russian missile strikes were reported in the eastern Kharkiv region.

“A 48-year-old man received a shrapnel wound as a result of the morning attacks … on Kharkiv. He is in the hospital in a moderate condition,” Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov said in a message on his Telegram account.

Air raid alerts sound in Ukraine almost on a daily basis due to missile and drone strikes that have targeted the country’s civilian and energy infrastructure. Such strikes rose dramatically after an October explosion damaged Russia's key Kerch Bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.