Ukraine sounds alarm amid Russian missile threat

ANKARA

Ukraine's State Emergency Service on Tuesday sent alerts due to the threat of Russian missile strikes across the country's territory.

At least 19 people were killed and dozens wounded in strikes launched by Russia on Monday in response to an attack on the critical Kerch bridge, , according to the country’s emergency service on Tuesday.

Multiple explosions were reported in the Ukrainian cities of Odesa, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky, Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil, and Kyiv, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukrainian intelligence of carrying out what he called a "terrorist attack" on the bridge linking Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Russia started its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive, while Moscow called up more reservists and annexed four Ukrainian regions into Russia following "sham" referendums.