About 10 loud explosions heard in Kyiv: AFP journalists

Around 10 powerful explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Thursday, according to AFP journalists on the scene, as authorities issued a missile alert.

The explosions, which set off car alarms, came a day after a series of Russian strikes that killed at least seven people in Ukraine and sparked fires in Kyiv.

Shortly before the blasts rang out, the Ukrainian Air Force had issued a warning that Russian ballistic missiles were heading toward Kyiv and its surroundings and the Chernigiv region north of the capital.

The Ukrainian capital, home to around 3 million people, has been the target of particularly intense drone attacks over the past few days, amid a marked escalation in long-range strikes on both sides of the front line.

Addressing the UN Security council on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country is "not going to have a pause" in its war against its neighbor.