UPDATE - 2 residential buildings hit by airstrikes in Ukraine’s capital amid nationwide alerts

UPDATES WITH REPORTS OF EXPLOSIONS IN OTHER AREAS; REVISES DECK

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two residential buildings were hit in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Tuesday, as nationwide air alerts sounded across the country.

“Attack on the capital. According to preliminary information, two residential buildings were hit in the Pecherskyi district. Several missiles were shot down by air defense over Kyiv,” the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

He said medics and rescue teams were at the site, adding that more details would be provided later.

Officials also reported explosions in cities including Rivne, Lviv, Vinnytsia, and Kovel.

Parts of Rivne, the administrative center of the western Rivne region, have been left without electricity after blasts at a critical infrastructure location, Mayor Alexander Tretyak said on Telegram.

Oleg Sinegubo, head of the Kharkiv regional administration, also reported explosions and urged residents to remain in shelters.

Air defense systems are operational in Zhytomyr, said regional military administration head Vitaly Bunechko.

Air defenses are also working in Sumy, Odesa, and other regions, according to local officials.

Air raid alerts were activated earlier in the day across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, guarding against possible Russian attacks.

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