Fire breaks out in central Kyiv after explosion during air raid alert

A fire broke out in central Kyiv after an explosion during an air raid alert, an AFP reporter saw.

The journalist heard a detonation and saw a cloud of smoke and flames. Fire crews and ambulances arrived promptly at the scene.

The capital suffers frequent deadly air strikes, more than four years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Wednesday that he was rushing home from a visit to Dublin due to intelligence reports that Russia was about to launch a massive attack.

"I urge our people to be especially careful, to protect themselves, their children, and, of course, their families; to use shelters and heed air raid alerts in Ukraine -- this is very important," he told a news conference.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin "has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time now".

US peace efforts have so far failed to broker an end to Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)