Two children among three killed in Russia's fresh air strike on Ukrainian capital Kyiv

An air attack was launched by Russia on Ukraine early on Thursday in which three people,includingtwo children, were killed. The latest attack brought fresh terror to the capital city, after a week of strikes.

A series of aerial assaults were launched by the Russian forces on the Ukrainian capital, which included a daytime attack on Monday which forced residents to seek shelter.

The attack on Thursday started around 3:00 am local time (0000 GMT), in which two children were killed and 10 others were injured, stated officials.

"Among the three dead in the Desnyansky district, there were two children (aged 5-6 and 12-13)," wrote the Kyiv City Military Administration on Telegram.

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On Wednesday, Russia stated that it has started the evacuation of hundreds of children from villages as shelling has intensified in Belgorod, as Kremlin called the situation "alarming".

Authorities have started the evacuation of children from the border districts of Graivoron and Shebekino, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram.

"The question of children's safety in the two districts...is very important. All of us, adults, are very worried,” Gladkov added.

On Wednesday, tensions further escalated between Russia and the West as Germany announced that it would drastically cut down the diplomatic presence of Moscow on its soil in reply to a similar step taken by the Kremlin.

Moscow called the decision taken by Germany "ill-thought-out" and promised a response.

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'Alarming situation'

Governor Gladkov said that the authorities will take the first 300 evacuated children to Voronezh, a city which is around 250 kilometres into Russia. “And over 1,000 more children will be removed to other provinces over the coming days,” he added.

State-run agency RIA Novosti's correspondent near Voronezh said that buses, with 150 people on board, had arrived.

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Gladkov stated that the situation has worsened in the village of Shebekino, where shelling during the day had increased and injured four people. However, no deaths have been reported so far.

On Tuesday, one citizen died and two others were injured in a strike that took place at a centre for displaced people in the region. In the recent week, various oil depots have also been hit.

The attacks came as Kyiv stated that it is preparing to launch a major counteroffensive against Moscow's forces. "The situation is quite alarming," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about shelling in the region.

"We have not heard a single word of condemnation from the West so far," Peskov added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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