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A BBC journalist was forced to take cover during a live broadcast this morning as Russian missiles slammed into Kyiv behind him.
Ukraine’s capital was hit by multiple strikes today – amid reports of blasts in at least two other cities – as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s revenge for an explosion which crippled the Crimea Bridge got underway.
At 8:18 am local time, BBC’s correspondent in Kyiv, Hugo Bachega, was delivering a news report on a roof in front of the city’s iconic golden-domed St. Michael’s Monastery when the sound of a rocket could be heard roaring overhead.
At 8:18 am local time, BBC’s correspondent in Kyiv, Hugo Bachega (pictured), was delivering a news report on a roof in front of the city’s iconic golden-domed St. Michael’s Monastery when the sound of a rocket could be heard roaring overhead
He stopped his report mid-sentence to glance behind him, before an explosion could be heard ringing out in the distance – forcing him to duck down, out of shot of the camera looking over the city.
The footage cut back to the studio, where a concerned looking news presenter Sally Bundock told viewers that Bachega was ‘for obvious reasons, taking cover at that point’.
It was not immediately clear whether the rocket sound was from a missile or a jet. The correspondent was reporting when ‘several’ explosions rocked Kiyv city centre, the BBC said.
Bachega and his crew later spoke to the BBC to confirm they were safe, the broadcaster reported. He and his crew headed to a shelter underneath their hotel and made contact with the BBC around an hour after the incident, it said.
Speaking later from the shelter, which appeared to be an underground carpark, Bachega told viewers: ‘We’re here in the shelter of our hotel. Obviously we came here after we heard that sound of what appeared to be a missile here over Kiyv.
‘It hit a location very close to our hotel here in the city centre. We understand that several explosions have happened here in the capital.
‘We had an update from the emergency services saying that several people have killed and wounded as a result of these attacks that happened after 8 o’clock in the morning here in Kyiv,’ Bachega continued.
Ukraine’s capital was hit by multiple strikes today amid reports of blasts in at least two other cities – as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s revenge for an explosion which crippled the Crimea Bridge got underway. Pictured: BBC correspondent Hugo Bachega reports from Kyiv
Bachega (pictured) stopped his report up mid-sentence to glance behind him, before an explosion could be heard ringing out in the distance – forcing him to duck down
The footage cut back to the studio, where a concerned looking news anchor (pictured) told viewers that Bachega was ‘for obvious reasons, taking cover at that point’
‘All morning we’ve been talking about the possibility and the fear here in Ukraine of a strong Russian response to that explosion on Saturday that hit the Crimea bridge.
‘[It was] a very significant explosion because the bridge is very symbolic. It was opened by President Putin in 2018. It’s a personal project to perhaps symbolise that Crimea was Russia, so it’s very important for President Putin personally.
‘There was the fear today that some response was going to come from Russia, and it seems that we are seeing it this morning – with the capital being attacked, and several cities across the country being hit.’
A number of people were killed and hurt in the Kyiv strikes, officials said, though the exact toll is currently unclear.
One missile struck close to a monument to Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, a Ukrainian statesman, while another hit the Shevchenkivskyy district – both in the centre of the city. Videos showed cars on fire in the streets.
Meanwhile there were reports of further strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhia – where more than 40 people have been killed by shelling in recent days – and Dnipro, in central Ukraine.
It is the first time in months that Kyiv has been directly struck and it comes as Vladimir Putin meets with his security council today to plot his revenge for a bomb blast at the weekend that crippled the Kerch Bridge from Russia to Crimea.
Putin has blamed the blast on Ukraine, and described it as an ‘act of terror’.
Supporters of the Russian president had called on the despot to ‘stop talking’ and ‘painfully beat’ the Kyiv regime ahead of his Security Council meeting, despite the Kremlin playing down fears of a nuclear response.
Ukrainian civilians had been warned by the deputy governor of Russia’s southern Stavropol region Valery Chernitsov to expect a critical response.
In a menacing video posted on Twitter, he said: ‘Ukrainians, leave your cities, especially the large ones. Because a big surprise is waiting for you. Sarmat missiles are ready to strike.’
Multiple people have been killed and injured in strikes on Kyiv this morning amid reports of blasts across Ukraine. Pictured: Cars are seen on fire after Russian missile strikes, as Russia’s attack continues, in Kyiv on Monday
Rescue workers survey the scene of a Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday
Cars are seen on fire after Russian missile strikes, as Russia’s attack continues, in Kyiv, Monday
But it was Putin’s former adviser Sergei Markov, who urged his former chief to ‘punish’ Ukraine as well as its allies, following the destruction of the Kerch bridge in Crimea, the Telegraph reports.
‘It’s time for Russia to stop talking and instead begin silently and painfully beating them,’ he said, sparking fears over how Putin will react.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky hit back at his counterpart’s terror claims, highlighting Russian missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia which he says have killed at least 43 people this week alone.
In a video addressing the world, the Kyiv leader said: ‘The constant terror against the civilian population is an obvious Russian refusal to engage in real negotiations.
‘Terrorism is a crime that must be punished. Terrorism at the state level is one of the most heinous international crimes, which threatens not just someone in the world, but the entire international community.’