At least 3 injured in Kyiv rocket attacks, mayor says

ISTANBUL

At least three people were injured in a rocket attack on a building in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the city's mayor tweeted early Friday amid Russian military intervention.

Vitali Klitschko, citing preliminary reports, said one person was also in critical condition after a rocket fragment hit the residential building.

Sharing a photo of the wrecked building, Klitschko said ambulances had taken the injured to hospital and emergency services were working on the spot.

Explosions and air raid sirens were heard throughout the city, with people taking shelter in subway stations and basements.

Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized separatist-held Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states earlier this week, followed by the start of a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "special military operation" aimed at protecting people “subjected to genocide” by Kyiv and to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine. He called on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed martial law soon after the announcement.