2 businesses hit in Russian strike on Kyiv, mayor says

Two commercial establishments were hit in Ukraine's capital Kyiv Thursday in a Russian airstrike, according to Mayor Vitaly Klichko.

In a statement on Telegram, Klichko said both were located in the Pokrovsky district, without providing further details.

Air raid alerts had blared earlier in the day for almost three hours in Kyiv and its suburbs, with eyewitnesses reporting multiple blasts in several areas.

Images showing a column of black smoke rising from Kyiv's center have also emerged.