Explosions rocked Kiev and several other Ukrainian cities on Monday morning as Russia steps up its military campaign in the country. 

The explosions, which come after a huge blast targeted a bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, caused several deaths and injuries, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Services.

Kiev mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, issued a statement via his official Telegram account, saying, “Several explosions in the Shevchenskivskyi district – in the center of the capital.”

At least four explosions were heard, the Kiev Independent reported and according to public broadcaster Suspilne, an explosion was heard near a railway station in the city.

A cloud of black smoke was also reported to be seen rising from one area in the city center.

Meanwhile, there are reports of explosions in several other cities including Lviv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnitsky, Dnipro, and Ternopil, according to social media and Telegram channels.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Crimea bridge blast a “terrorist act” carried out by Ukraine secret services.

“There is no doubt this is a terrorist act aimed at destroying critical Russian civilian infrastructure,” Putin said on Sunday, during a meeting with the head of an investigation committee, which is looking into the incident.

“The authors, perpetrators, and sponsors are the Ukrainian secret services,” the Russian head of state added.

The bomb set fire to seven oil tankers that were being carried by rail to Crimea, sparking a massive blaze and killing three people.

Source: Presstv