Deadly missile strikes hit Kyiv as explosions reported in other cities across Ukraine

Emergency workers clear debris from the crater of a missile strike at a bus stop in a residential area of Dnipro, Ukraine. Missiles struck multiple cities across the country Monday morning. (Kat Lonsdorf/NPR)

KYIV and DNIPRO, UKRAINE, and MOSCOW — Explosions rocked several cities across Ukraine in the most extensive attack on the country since the early days of Russia's invasion in February. The attacks came only hours after Russia blamed Ukraine for a weekend explosion that partially damaged a strategic bridge that connects Russian-occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.

Ukrainian emergency services report that several people are dead across the country, including at least five people in the the capital Kyiv, which hasn't been hit since June. It's also the closest strike to the center of the city since the war began, coming just over 1,000 yards from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office.