Russia has launched a large-scale attack as more than 100 missiles rain down on Ukraine this afternoon, killing two and wounding a one-year-old baby.
There have been multiple strikes across the country in one of the biggest missile attacks of the war, with blasts heard in Kyiv, Kramatorsk, Kirovograd, and Vinnitsa.
Last week, western analysts warned that Moscow was preparing for a week-long onslaught after satellite images showed a build-up of ammunition and bombers at a Russian airfield last week.
The Guardian reported that more than 100 missiles fired by 13 Russian bombers and sea-based Kalibr launchers were unleashed during the first wave.
Several missiles were intercepted by Ukraine's air defences, all four of them in the Kharkiv region, the paper added.
Information about casualties is sparse as the bombing continues, but some reports indicate that civilian residences have been hit, with ambulances sent out to rescue the injured.
Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said that a one-year-old baby was among the wounded, and that two had been killed during a strike on civilian buildings.
Air raid sirens are being sounded through the country, according to local media reports, which have advised the public to seek shelter to wait out Vladimir Putin's blitzkrieg.
In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv - a likely target - civilians raced to the city's underground stations to take shelter, reports say.
Vinnytsia politician Serhii Borzov warned his constituents: "There are many rockets in the sky over Ukraine! Stay in shelters! We believe in the Armed Forces! "
One western analyst told the Daily Mirror: "Over the next seven to ten days it is assessed that Russia will increase its targeting across Ukraine's energy infrastructure."
It is widely believed Moscow’s commanders are fast running out of cruise missiles and that the expected onslaught will be a last attempt to cripple Ukraine’s energy supply.
But it is also thought the Iran-made Shahed-136 explosive-tipped drones that Moscow has been using are quite ineffective in freezing conditions.
The western intelligence assessment adds that another set of air-strikes could force many more refugees to leave their homes in the face of widespread winter blackouts.
It comes despite the head of U.S. intelligence saying fighting in Ukraine is running at a "reduced tempo."
Some have linked this afternoon's pummelling on Ukraine's drone strike on an airship where two of its flagship nuclear bombers are stationed this morning.
Videos showed a huge flash at the high-security airbase in Saratov region used by Vladimir Putin ’s strategic fleet.
The early morning “strike” was reported at the Engels-1 airbase in the Saratov region of Russia.
It is around 460 miles from the border with Ukraine.
