In Pictures

Photos: Residential areas hit in Kyiv leaving at least four dead

More than half of Kyiv’s three million inhabitants have fled the city since the start of the Russian offensive.

Firefighters extinguish a fire in an apartment building in Kyiv on March — Firefighters battle the flames at an apartment building in Kyiv, after attacks on residential areas killed at least four people [Aris Messinis/AFP]

By AFP

Raids on residential areas in Kyiv have killed at least four people, emergency services said, as Russian troops intensified their attacks on the Ukrainian capital.

Bodies were pulled from the rubble after an attack on a 16-storey building in the Sviatoshynsky district, the emergency service said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, adding that 27 people had been rescued from the site.

Another residential building in the Podilsk area also came under attack, it said.

“A fire started on the first five floors of a 10-storey residential building on Mostytska street as a result of ammunition fire,” it said.

Shattered glass and debris were spread around the explosion site while residents were throwing charred wreckage out of their windows.

Windows were blown out by the impact in surrounding blocks.

Separately, the emergency service said a private home was hit in the Osokorky district in southeastern Kyiv.

Fighting has intensified in recent days around Kyiv, which is almost completely surrounded by Russian forces that invaded Ukraine on February 24.

More than half of Kyiv’s three million inhabitants have fled the city since the start of the Russian offensive.

A woman is evacuated from a burning apartment building in Kyiv. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

firemen work to extinguish a fire in a housing block — Russian troops intensified their attacks on the Ukrainian capital. [Handout: State Emergency Service of Ukraine vis AFP]

An evacuated resident is comforted by a rescue staff — An evacuated resident is comforted by rescue staff outside an apartment building hit by shelling in Kyiv. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

Evacuated residents react outside their 16-storey residential — Evacuated residents outside their 16-storey residential building that was destroyed in Kyiv. [Sergei Supinsky/AFP]

A fireman reacts outside a burning apartment building in Kyiv — A firefighter outside a burning apartment building in Kyiv, after attacks hit residential areas. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A body in a plastic bag lies on the ground outside a burning building — A body in a plastic bag lies on the ground outside a burning apartment building in Kyiv. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A man takes pictures of the remains of a missile in the yard of a private house hit by shelling in the Osokorky district in southeastern Kyiv. [Genya Savilov/AFP]

A woman inspects debris inside a private house damaged by shelling in the Osokorky — A woman inspects debris inside the private house damaged by shelling in the Osokorky. [Genya Savilov/AFP]