By Tara Subramaniam, Sana Noor Haq, Ed Upright and Aditi Sangal, CNN
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Eleven sites of critical infrastructure have been struck in Kyiv and eight other regions of Ukraine, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Some of the regions are experiencing blackouts," Shmyhal said. "We have to be ready for temporary disruptions with power connections and water supply."
Multiple explosions rang across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities Monday, in a spate of violent Russian airstrikes that hit civilian infrastructure and left multiple people dead.
From Olga Voitovych
A senior Ukrainian military official has said "generations of Russians will answer" for a wave of explosions that struck multiple Ukrainian cities on Monday.
"The Russians are shameful losers. Did you intend to scare us?" Andrii Yermak, head of President Zelensky's office, said of the attacks.
"There will be a harsh response to every hit. You will be held responsible for every death and suffering. And not only you. Entire generations of Russians will answer," Yermak said on Telegram.
"We will continue to destroy everyone who comes to Ukraine with weapons. These hits make us even angrier. These hits will only speed up our progress.
"We are not afraid. We are only getting angrier and more accurate," Yermak added.
Monday's assault appears to be the heaviest bombardment of missile and rocket attacks seen in most of Ukraine since February, targeting power plants, bridges, civilian infrastructure and other locations.
Read more here:
From CNN's Tim Lister
The US Embassy in Kyiv has sent a message telling US citizens to shelter in place and depart Ukraine if they can do so safely.
“Russia has launched attacks against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure as well as government facilities in Kyiv and elsewhere. Russia’s continued strikes in Ukraine pose a direct threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure," the embassy said in a statement on Monday.
"The US Embassy urges US citizens to shelter in place and depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options when it is safe to do so," the statement added.
“The security situation throughout Ukraine is highly volatile and conditions may deteriorate without warning. US citizens should remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.”
Some background: The war in Ukraine has escalated in recent days, following a huge blast on the strategic Kerch Strait road-and-rail bridge Saturday.
The explosion was a major blow to what the Kremlin calls its special military operation in Ukraine, as it is the only bridge between the annexed Crimea peninsula and the Russian mainland.
On Monday morning explosions rocked cities across Ukraine, damaging critical infrastructure and leaving multiple people dead.
From Olga Voitovych, CNN’s Victoria Butenko in Kyiv
Russian forces used missiles, air strikes and drones in a "massive attack" on multiple Ukrainian cities Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.
"Since the morning, the aggressor launched 75 rockets. 41 of them were neutralized by our air defenses," Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, said.
The enemy attack continues," he added.
Powerful explosions rang across Kyiv on Monday morning, leaving multiple people dead. At the same time, regional authorities also reported missile and rocket attacks in Kharkiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk, partly aimed at critical civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile strikes targeted Ukraine's energy facilities and its people.
"They have especially chosen the time and the targets to create the most damage,” he said while standing outside his office in the center of Kyiv.
Moscow wanted to destroy Ukraine’s “energy system," Zelensky said, adding that the Ukrainians shot down 38 incoming projectiles. He urged people to stay in shelters on Monday.
Further south, a Ukrainian official also confirmed that Russian missiles are targeting power infrastructure in the Mykolaiv region.
"They are hitting the infrastructure, trying to leave us without electricity," Vitalii Kim, head of Mykolaiv regional military administration, said on Telegram.
"Russians are trying to scare us by hitting the infrastructure. There might be power outages, but the repair works are in progress, not just in Mykolaiv, but in all regions," he aded.
Kim added that the Russians had claimed they are advancing "in all directions," but the opposite is true: "In fact we are advancing and they are panicking."
From CNN's Julia Kesaieva
After reports of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine on Monday morning, Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not break Ukraine down."
"Putin’s only tactic is terror on peaceful Ukrainian cities, but he will not break Ukraine down. This is also his response to all appeasers who want to talk with him about peace: Putin is a terrorist who talks with missiles," Kuleba tweeted.
Some context: Amid multiple explosions in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities early Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was trying to annihilate Ukraine.
In further comments on the waves of missile attacks across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday:
"The morning has been difficult. We are dealing with terrorists. Tens of missiles and Iranian shahids (drones). They have two targets. Energy facilities all over the country. Kiev and Khmelnitsk regions, Lviv and Dnipro, Lviv and Frankivsk regions, Zaporizhzhy and Sumy regions, Zhytomy and Kirovograd regions, south of the country," he added.
At least five people were killed in the attacks on Kyiv. Regional authorities also reported missile and rocket attacks in Kharkiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk Monday morning.
From CNN staff
Multiple explosions shook Kyiv on Monday morning following weeks of relative calm in the Ukrainian capital. Other cities in Ukraine have also been hit by a large-scale Russian bombardment. Here are the latest developments:
From CNN’s Beijing bureau and Niamh Kennedy
China has expressed hope that the situation in Ukraine will be “de-escalated soon,” following apparent Russian strikes on the capital Kyiv on Monday.
Speaking during the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Chinese MOFA spokesperson Mao Ning said China had noted reports of both the explosion on the Kerch bridge linking Crimea with mainland Russia on Saturday and Monday’s strikes on Kyiv.
Mao reiterated China’s position on the situation in Ukraine, stressing China has “always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected.”
“We hope that all parties can properly resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation. China is also willing to continue to play a constructive role in promoting the de-escalation of the situation,” Mao added.
From CNN's Jake Kwon, Richard Roth and Rhea Mogul
India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar declined on Monday to say whether New Delhi will vote to condemn Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory in a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session this week.
“As a matter of prudence and policy, we don’t predict our votes in advance,” Jaishankar said at a news conference with Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong in Canberra. Jaishankar is visiting Australia for the annual Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue.
The UNGA is expected to vote on Wednesday on a resolution that condemns Russia's recent annexation of Ukrainian provinces, which it says violates international law
Jaishankar said Monday India has been “very clearly against the conflict in Ukraine,” and that the country believes the war “does not serve the interests of anybody, neither the participants nor indeed of the international community.”
Some context: Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin last month that “today’s era is not of war,” India has repeatedly abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations.
India has kept buying Russian oil, coal and fertilizer throughout the conflict and in August, took part in Russia’s large-scale Vostok military exercises alongside China, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan, where Moscow paraded its vast arsenal.
From CNN's Julia Kesaieva
Authorities in Sumy, in the northeast of Ukraine, say there are power outages across the region following missile attacks Monday.
"There are power outages in all districts of the region. In some places, because of it, there are problems with water supply," said Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, head of the Sumy military administration.
"In Konotop, two missiles hit an infrastructure facility. There are wounded.
"The alert continues, stay in shelters."
