Blasts heard in Kyiv during ballistic missile alert: AFP

A series of explosions rang out in Kyiv shortly after midnight on Wednesday, an AFP journalist said, after a Ukrainian air force alert reported the approach of several ballistic missiles.

There were several bright flashes in the sky over Ukraine's capital, followed by half a dozen detonations, they said. The attack came a few hours after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited to boost defence ties.