A Kiev city official said that Russia is carrying out an air strike on Kiev

KYIV (Reuters) – Russia launched a new wave of overnight air strikes on Kiev, with officials in the Ukrainian capital saying air defense systems shot down more than 20 cruise missiles as they approached.

“All of them were shot down, there were no casualties,” Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kiev military department, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters could not independently verify the news.

Reuters witnesses reported hearing several explosions that sounded like air defense systems while the city was under air raid alert for more than four hours, starting shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

The military said that falling debris hit road surfaces and damaged power lines in the trolley system in Kiev’s Desnyansky district. The area on the left bank of the Dnipro River is the most populous district of Kiev.

Officials said that according to preliminary information, there were no injuries.

Written by Lydia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Kim Coghill and Christian Schmollinger

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