Explosions heard in Kyiv as Russia launches ballistic missiles at Ukraine

Prefer on Google by Volodymyr Ivanyshyn Cars drive along Independence Square at night in Kyiv on January 13, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergei GAPON / AFP via Getty Images) Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Explosions were heard in Kyiv as Russia launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine's capital overnight on April 16. Ballistic missile explosions were first heard by Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground at 2:35 a.m. local time. An air raid alert has been in place since 2:31 a.m. Debris has fallen in several locations, and a commercial building has been struck in the Podilskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said . "We are assessing the consequences of a hostile attack in the Obolonsky district. There are preliminary reports of casualties. The information is being clarified," Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported . Russia regularly strikes Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings and energy infrastructure , as it continues to wage its war. A Russian drone struck a residential building in Odesa , killing one and injuring six others on April 15, the State Emergency Service reported. Later in the day, a fire broke out at a commercial site in Kyiv Oblast's Bila Tserkva district.