Russian strikes in Kyiv region kill 14, damage warehouses, responders say

(Reuters) – Russian strikes ​around Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv killed fourteen people, injured 27 and ‌damaged warehouses overnight, emergency service officials said on the Telegram messaging app._x000D_
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Air raid alerts lasted for more than an hour across the capital of 3 million, where the military administration said ​seven sites were pummelled in an assault that began after midnight._x000D_
Authorities said ​one person died, 24 were injured and buildings damaged in several ⁠areas of Kyiv._x000D_
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“There may still be people under the rubble,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko ​wrote on Telegram after rescuers pulled two people from the ruins of a warehouse ​near the city centre that was destroyed in the attack._x000D_
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“Search and rescue operations are proceeding.”_x000D_
An ambulance driver was among the 24 injured, four of them still in critical condition, he added._x000D_
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On ​Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry said it had hit logistic hubs and supply centers ​in Kyiv and surrounding areas, accusing them of being used for military purposes._x000D_
Klitschko said the attack ‌set ⁠off fires in warehouses and storage areas, but initial reports that a 20-storey apartment building was ablaze proved inaccurate._x000D_
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A large fire broke out on the city’s outskirts, he said, and debris from a fallen missile landed beside a residential building._x000D_
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The Kyiv ​military administration said the ​attack caused an ⁠ammonia leak that emergency crews were tackling._x000D_
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Reuters witnesses heard explosions throughout the city. Klitschko said air defence units scrambled to ​repel the assault._x000D_
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Russia has stepped up attacks on Kyiv in ​recent weeks, ⁠with several in the past month. In Russia, Ukraine hit a logistics hub of Russian online retailer Wildberries, adding to more than a dozen it has damaged recently._x000D_
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Reuters could not ⁠independently verify ​all the reports. Russia and Ukraine deny targeting ​civilians in the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.