Ukraine updates: Russia launches fresh strikes on Kyiv, Lviv

Russia's Ministry of Defense on Sunday commented on two incidents in which it claimed its forces had successfully defended against Ukrainian missiles and US bombers.

In the first incident, the Ministry of Defense said Kremlin air defense systems had shot down 22 Ukrainian Vampire missiles targeting Russia's Belgorod region.

In the second, the Ministry of Defense claimed that MiG-31 fighter jets had been scrambled to deter an approaching US B-1B bomber near Russia's Barents Sea border. The ministry claimed the US plane turned away when approached by the MiGs.

Warsaw on Sunday summoned Moscow's ambassador to explain a violation of Polish airspace by a Russian cruise missile.

The Armed Forces Operational Command of Poland said a cruise missile launched toward Ukraine from long-range bombers in Russia had violated Polish airspace near the village of Oserdow around 4:23 a.m. (0323 GMT). 

Authorities said the missile had been in Polish airspace for 39 seconds, adding that it would have been shot it down had there been any indication it was aimed at a Polish target.

NATO member state Poland scrambled F-16 fighter jets in response to the brief incursion.

Polish Deputy Minister Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said Warsaw's response to the incident would be based upon information provided by the Russian ambassador. 

A similar violation of Polish airspace occurred in December. And in November 2022, two civilians were killed when a missile struck a Polish village near the Ukrainian border. It is largely assumed that the missile in that incident, however, was a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile gone astray.

Ukraine sharply increased imports of electricity on Sunday and halted exports after a series of missile attacks on its power grid, the Energy Ministry said.

"For the current day, electricity imports are forecast at 14,900 megawatt hour (Mwh). No exports are expected," it said in a statement.

Russia attacked power stations and transmission facilities on Friday and on Sunday morning, causing blackouts in many regions.

The attacks on Friday included the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station, with Ukrainian officials calling it the biggest wave of attacks on energy infrastructure in months.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that it hit Ukraine's electric power and gas producing facilities. 

The Ukrainian military said it hit two Russian landing ships in a strike on Sevastopol on the annexed Crimean peninsula.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully struck the amphibious landing ships Yamal and Azov, a communications center, and a number of the Black Sea Fleet's infrastructure sites," it said. 

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-appointed mayor of Sevastopol, said transport infrastructure, including passenger boats, was partially damaged.

"Of the six boats, five had their windows broken ... During the day, the windows of the damaged boats will be replaced and as they are restored they will be brought back online," he said on the Telegram messaging app.

Razvozhayev also said that three passenger buses, 13 school buses and one trolley bus were among the damaged vehicles during the overnight attacks.

Poland has accused Russia of violating its airspace after Russia launched cruise missiles at the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

"On March 24 at 4:23 a.m. (0323 GMT), there was a violation of Polish airspace by one of the cruise missiles launched overnight by long-range aviation of the Russian Federation," the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said on social media.

Jacek Goryszewski, a Polish army spokesperson, said the rocket "went around 2 kilometers over the border."

Russia launched fresh strikes on Lviv as well as Kyiv in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Earlier, the Polish armed forces said it had activated aircraft in response to "intense" and "long-range" aviation activity from Russia.

"Polish and allied aircraft have been activated, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the south-eastern part of the country," it added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected claims by Russian authorities that Ukraine was somehow connected to the mass shooting near Moscow that killed at least 133 people.

"After what happened yesterday in Moscow, Putin and the other bastards are of course just trying to put the blame on someone else," Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Saturday evening.

"They always blame others," he added.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of spreading terror itself, while adding that Putin stayed silent for a day after the Moscow attack.

"They drove hundreds of thousands of their terrorists here to fight us on our Ukrainian soil, and they don't care what happens inside their own country," he said.

In a televised address on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said 11 people had been detained, including the four gunmen.

"They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border," he said.

The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Russia launched fresh attacks on Kyiv and Lviv on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said.

"Explosions in the capital. Air defence is working. Do not leave shelters," Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Preliminary reports suggested no casualties of damage according to Sergiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.

"The enemy continues massive missile terror against Ukraine," Popko said on Telegram. "It does not give up its goal of destroying Kyiv at any cost."

In Lviv, mayor Andriy Sadovy said about 20 missiles and seven Iranian-made Shahed drones were fired at the region.

"They targeted critical infrastructure facilities," Sadovy said.

US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said Sunday marked the third time this week that a nationwide air alert had been issued before dawn. 

"Russia continues to indiscriminately launch drones andm issiles with no regard for millions of civilians, violatinginternational law," she said.