Major Explosions Rock Ukraine Ahead of Russian Invasion Anniversary

Explosions rocked Kyiv, Ukraine, from ballistic missiles before dawn this morning. The blasts occurred just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

According to AFP on Sunday (22/2/2026), a series of loud explosions began at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) in Kyiv, shortly after air raid warnings were issued.

“The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic weapons,” said the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, via his Telegram account, urging people to remain in shelters.

Tkachenko said the attack caused a fire on the roof of a residential building.

Ukraine’s air force subsequently extended the warning nationwide, alerting to a broader missile threat. The strikes also prompted heightened vigilance along Ukraine’s western border.

Poland’s Operational Command said it had scrambled fighter jets after detecting “long-range flights by the Russian Federation carrying out strikes on Ukrainian territory”.

The attack also came just hours after an explosion in Lviv, a western city near the Polish border that has rarely experienced deadly strikes.

An explosion rocked a central shopping street at around 12:30 am (2230 GMT Saturday), killing a female police officer and injuring 15 people after officers responded to a reported break-in.

“This is clearly an act of terrorism,” said Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, without providing details about the perpetrators.

Such attacks far from the front lines have become increasingly frequent over the past two years.