Ukraine war: At least five injured in airstrikes across country

Air raid sirens person sounded crossed Ukraine aft Russia launched a caller question of rocket and drone strikes connected cities astir the country.

Explosions were heard successful Ukraine's superior Kyiv, wherever the city's politician said 5 radical had been injured by falling debris from down drones.

Blasts besides deed Kharkiv, Kherson, Odessa and Mykolaiv, officials said.

It marks the 4th onslaught successful 8 days connected Kyiv, and comes conscionable 24 hours earlier Russia celebrates Victory Day.

The yearly vacation commemorates Russia's triumph implicit Nazi Germany during World War Two, a struggle the Kremlin has baselessly tried to gully parallels to, since launching its penetration of Ukraine past year.

After a lull successful Russian attacks connected civilian targets successful caller months, which saw Kyiv spell days without an attack, Moscow has intensified its aerial raids implicit the past week up of an expected Ukrainian violative successful the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region.

The Ukrainian subject said Monday morning's raids - which lasted much than 4 hours and were launched soon aft midnight - saw 16 missiles fired astatine targets crossed the country.

It said that 61 airstrikes and 52 rocket salvos were besides fired astatine cities and subject positions. Officials added that immoderate 35 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones had been destroyed. The BBC has not been capable to verify these numbers.

In Kyiv, exigency services responded aft drone wreckage fell connected a runway astatine Zhuliany planetary airdrome - 1 of the city's 2 commercialized airports - Kyiv's subject medication said.

And civilians were injured aft drone debris deed a residential gathering successful the cardinal Shevchenkivskyi district, the medication added.

Elsewhere, successful the Black Sea larboard metropolis of Odessa, a warehouse was acceptable ablaze successful the strikes.

In images posted to societal media by Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa subject administration, flames could beryllium seen engulfing the building, which helium identified arsenic a nutrient warehouse.

In Zaporizhzhia, the caput of the Russian installed medication Vladimir Rogov said Russian forces deed a warehouse and Ukrainian troops' presumption successful the tiny metropolis of Orikhiv.

On the eastbound front, the Ukrainian commandant of forces successful the besieged eastbound metropolis of Bakhmut said Russian troops had stepped up shelling, successful a bid to instrumentality the metropolis by Tuesday's celebrations.

Russian troops and fighters from the Wagner Group, a backstage subject company, person been trying to seizure Bakhmut for months - contempt its questionable strategical value.

Over the weekend, Wagner's laminitis Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to U-turn connected a menace to withdraw from the metropolis aft helium was promised caller ammunition supplies by the defence ministry successful Moscow.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 9 May volition beryllium celebrated arsenic Europe Day from present on, successful a pointed rebuke to Russia.

Mr Zelensky said helium had signed a decree that the time would commemorate European unity, and the decision of "Ruscism" - a word that is shorthand for "Russian fascism".