KYIV, Ukraine — Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine as officials said Russia launched a barrage of missiles at multiple cities, including the capital Kyiv. Officials warned people not to ignore the sirens, and urged residents to seek shelter as social media filled with images of people sheltering underground.
Yet restaurants about 300 meters from government headquarters remained open and some Kyiv residents expressed exhaustion with the continual warnings.“Everybody takes precautions, but that doesn’t always mean using an underground shelter,” said Maryan Zablotskyy, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, who went to lunch as the sirens blared.
Reports of two separate incidents at air bases in western Russia that killed or injured several people did not yield immediate claims of responsibility. Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
4. From our correspondents
Ukraine allows perilous Dnieper River crossings to flee Russian occupation. Ukrainian officials announced Saturday that they would lift a ban on crossing the Dnieper River, encouraging residents on the occupied eastern bank to flee to the recently liberated southern city of Kherson, whatever the danger, in a possible sign that Ukraine’s offensive could continue to push east.
So far, few have taken up the offer to flee, write Samantha Schmidt and Serhii Korolchuk. The route is perilous: A 65-year-old woman, attempting to cross the river by boat alongside her husband died under gunfire Sunday, according to a statement released by the Kherson City Council.
Russian forces have battered Kherson with shelling in recent days from firing positions on the east side of the river.
Timsit reported from London, Pannett from Sydney and Rauhala from Brussels. David L. Stern in Kyiv, Ukraine, Maham Javaid in Washington, Rick Noack in Paris and Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.