UPDATE 2 - 8 dead, 24 injured amid Russian strikes in Ukrainian capital

ADDS DETAILS, REVISES DECK

By Burak Bir and Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - At least eight people were killed in Ukraine's capital early on Monday in a Russian strike on several cities, according to the country's authorities.

At least 24 people were injured in the shelling of Shevchenkivskyi, an urban district in Kyiv, said the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that there were dead and wounded among the victims of the missile strikes.

In a video message released on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's energy facilities and people were Russia's two main targets. The president reiterated his call for residents to stay in shelters.

Multiple explosions were reported in the Ukrainian cities of Odesa, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky, Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil, and Kyiv, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukrainian intelligence of carrying out what he called a "terrorist attack" on the Kerch Bridge.

"Putin's only tactic is terror on peaceful Ukrainian cities, but he will not break Ukraine down," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

Kuleba also added that he was in constant contact with partners and that he was heading back to the country, interrupting an Africa tour.

Local media reported that train services on the red metro line had stopped in Kyiv and that all underground stations were now working as shelters.

Kyiv remains under threat, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that the main streets in the capital were now blocked by security forces while rescue efforts are underway.

Later, Ukrainian Interior Ministry noted that a Russian missile had hit the street where security agencies and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office are located.

Zelenskyy's's chief aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the attacks on Ukrainian cities were evidence of the Kremlin's "terrorist inadequacy."

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi said air defenses had intercepted 41 out of 75 missiles fired by Russia since the beginning of Monday's strikes.

After reports of explosions in Odesa, the regional military administration announced that three missiles and five kamikaze drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses in the region so far.