Reuters’ witnesses heard numerous blasts in Kyiv in what sounded like air defence systems in operation and saw objects being hit in the air.

Kyiv, its surrounding region and the eastern part of Ukraine have been under air raid alerts since around 1am on Monday.

“Several enemy UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) are over and near the capital,” Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine’s air force said earlier on Telegram that several groups of Russian drone attacks were heading towards Kyiv and Ukraine’s west. It also said it detected the launch of several guided bombs from Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine at around 4.40am.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which has launched multiple air attacks on Kyiv and Ukraine throughout September, targeting Ukraine’s energy, military and transport infrastructure in which dozens of civilians have died.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties as a result of the attacks.