KYIV, Ukraine: A “mass ballistic missile attack” pounded Kyiv early Sunday, military authorities said, with AFP journalists hearing heavy explosions, after Russia threatened retaliation for Ukrainian strikes in the east. A residential building located close to the government district shook from the explosions and dozens of people took shelter in an underground metro station in central Kyiv, AFP reporters saw, as officials urged people to take cover. “The capital has come under a mass ballistic missile attack,” Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, wrote on Telegram.

The US Embassy in Kyiv warned of a large-scale air attack within 24 hours. Russia's Oreshnik ballistic missile struck western Ukraine overnight, killing four.

Russian forces launched a large-scale missile attack on Kyiv overnight on May 24, officials reported.