3 killed, 6 injured after Russian missile hits Ukraine

KYIV [UKRAINE]: At least three people were killed and six injured in a missile strike launched by Russia in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, CNN reported. The strike comes amid the ongoing attacks from Russia targeting critical energy infrastructure across the country.

The infrastructure facility in Kyiv was hit in the afternoon, according to the mayor of the city.

"One of the infrastructure facilities of the capital was hit," Vitalii Klitschko said on Telegram, warning residents to stay in air raid shelters, reported CNN. Ukrainian air defense systems were "working in the region," according to Oleksii Kuleba, the governor of the wider Kyiv region. Earlier today, various missiles hit Ukrainian cities after which air raid warning was issued.

"There are a lot of missiles. From the south and from the east," Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv region military administration, said on Telegram. "The air defense is working." The conflict has escalated in southern and eastern regions of Ukraine in recent days, with local officials citing "massive shelling" in towns and villages on the eastern front line of the Donetsk region, according to CNN.

After the missile hit Kyiv, water supply has been suspended after shelling in the region, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on Telegram. Klitschko asked residents to "stock up on water" while experts tried to "return water to the homes of Kyiv residents." Engineers were also working to restore power supply, Klitschko said.

Parts of the city are without power after Moscow reportedly targeted infrastructure facilities in the region, the country's biggest energy supplier, Yasno, said in a statement, as per CNN report. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed concern over the renewal of hostilities around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site after powerful explosions were reported in the area of the largest nuclear plant in Europe.

"Powerful explosions shook area of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) last night and today. IAEA experts at #ZNPP report a dozen+ blasts from apparent shelling and some site buildings, systems and equipment damaged, but none so far critical for nuclear safety and security," IAEA said in a tweet.

In a statement, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said these powerful explosions abruptly ended a period of relative calm at the facility and further underlined the urgent need for measures to help prevent a nuclear accident there.

In what appeared to be renewed shelling both close to and at the site of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, IAEA experts at the ZNPP reported to Agency headquarters that more than a dozen blasts were heard within a short period of time in the morning local time. The IAEA team could also see some of the explosions from their windows.

Citing information provided by plant management, the IAEA team said there had been damage to some buildings, systems and equipment at the ZNPP site, but none of them so far critical for nuclear safety and security. There were no reports of casualties.

The IAEA experts are in close contact with site management and will continue to assess and report on the situation. Russia started its "military operation" on February 24 in Ukraine and since that, both countries have lost thousands of lives and properties.