ISTANBUL

Air raid alerts have been activated throughout Ukraine, including the country’s capital Kyiv, due to possible Russian airstrikes, local media reports said on Wednesday.

On Telegram, officials from the various regions of Ukraine said there is a strong possibility of airstrikes, urging civilians to take shelter.

One exception is the Crimea region, which has been under illegal Russian occupation since 2014, where no reports have emerged of air alerts.

Air raid alarms are given by local authorities in Ukraine on a daily basis due to possible missile and drone strikes which have recently targeted civilian and energy infrastructures.

Russian forces launched a new series of airstrikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities over the past three weeks, after an explosion hit Russia’s key Kerch Bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.