There were several explosions in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Monday morning. Mayor Vitali Klitschko and international media reported this unanimously, including the BBC.
A journalist from the British broadcaster was surprised by the alleged rocket attack on the city, which once had a population of 2.8 million, during a live broadcast.
Correspondent Hugo Bachega reported for BBC World News from downtown Kiev, near St. Michael’s Monastery. He was addressing Ukraine’s fears that the weekend’s Crimean bridge blasts could provoke fierce military responses from Russia when a booming sound approached him, culminating in a loud bang. The journalist looked around and disappeared from the frame because he immediately ducked for cover. BBC officials canceled the live broadcast. The news anchor in the London studio took over, Bachega was apparently unharmed.
A number of users uploaded the BBC sequence to social networks, and the broadcaster itself also published the excerpt on its website.
It is still unclear how many attacks there were on Kyiv this morning. It is not yet known whether there were any injuries. “Details will follow later,” Mayor Klitschko was quoted as saying by the DPA news agency. There were air alerts in almost all parts of Ukraine in the morning, and hits were reported from numerous cities. Observers consider Russian retaliation for the explosions on the Crimean bridge to be likely. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for the incident, but the Ukrainian government has not yet commented on an alleged involvement.
Sources: BBC, DPA and AFP news agencies
