A BBC live broadcast from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev was interrupted on Monday morning by a missile strike on the city.
Correspondent Hugo Bachega was explaining that Russia could launch a “very strong response” to last week’s apparent Ukrainian truck bomb attack on the Crimean Bridge, when his crew had to stop the broadcast.
The state TV reporter paused mid-sentence when the apparent sound of an incoming missile was heard, followed by an explosion. He and his crew then sought shelter, his employers explained.
Kiev came under intensive missile fire on Monday, local officials report, accusing Russia of the attack. Several other Ukrainian cities were also said to be targeted. In the capital, one of the missiles hit the street where the main office of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is located.
On Saturday, a truck exploded on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula with mainland Russia. The blast killed several civilians and damaged the road traffic section of the bridge. It also ignited several petrochemical tanks hauled by a train on the parallel railroad section.
Moscow accused the Ukrainian special services of masterminding what it called a terrorist attack on Russian civilian infrastructure. Senior Ukrainian officials previously claimed that the bridge is a legitimate military target that must be destroyed as soon as possible.