Explosions reported in central and southern cities including Dnipro and Mykolaiv, according to the Interfax Ukraine news agency.
Blasts were heard in Dnipro, Kremenchuk and Poltava in central Ukraine in the early hours of Friday, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reported. Explosions were also heard in Mykolaiv in the south, as well as in Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to social media channels.
“Woke up to explosions,” a Kyiv resident told Al Jazeera via text message. “It felt like an earthquake.”
Authorities in the capital said air defence systems were working.
There no immediate reports on the extent of the damage or of any casualties.
The raids come as Ukraine prepares for a major counteroffensive to retake territory in the country’s east and south that is occupied by the Russians.
More to come…