Explosion heard in central Kyiv as Russian strikes continue overnight

Witnesses reported a loud blast in central Kyiv, part of a wider wave of strikes on the capital and region.

A loud explosion was heard in central Kyiv, according to Reuters witnesses. The cause of that specific blast has not been confirmed.

The explosion came amid a broader run of strikes on the capital. Russian troops attacked Kyiv on the morning of September 28, and a gas station in the Obolon district was hit, reportedly by a drone, UA.News reported, citing Kyiv authorities. An office building was damaged in the Shevchenkivskyi district during the same attack, the Kyiv City Military Administration said. A day earlier, on September 27, a Russian drone attack sent debris from downed targets falling in the Holosiivskyi, Darnytskyi and Solomianskyi districts, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Air strikes on the Kyiv region over the 24 hours into September 28 killed three civilians and damaged 21 civilian sites, said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration. Overnight into Sunday, September 27, Russian attacks killed 14 people and injured 57 across Ukraine in what the Kyiv Independent described as a mass strike.

President Vladimir Putin said Kyiv must face consequences for attacks on civilian sites, and accused Ukraine of striking Moscow and polling stations. He also said Russia remains ready to resume talks once Ukraine's elections are held. The renewed strikes on Kyiv, arriving even as those diplomatic contacts continue, point to military operations that have not slowed to match them, a pattern that keeps geopolitical risk priced into energy and defense markets and complicates any near-term prospect of a ceasefire.