Ukraine downs Russian IL-76, explosions heard near Kiev metro station

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement that Ukraine has shot down a Russian transport plane IL-76 near Vasylkiv town in Kiev region.

New Delhi:Ukraine has shot down a Russian transport plane IL-76 near Vasylkiv town in Kiev region, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement on Facebook, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Videos have been circulating online showing what appears to be a series of explosions in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday night. The blasts are reportedly concentrated in the north-west area of Kiev, RT reported.

The blasts reportedly took place near Beresteiska metro station, which is located next to a military facility. An eyewitness can be heard saying in one of the videos shared online that the sounds of explosions appear to come from the direction of the base, RT reported. Another video purports to show a blaze raging in the middle of the road.

Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine is now in its third day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military action aimed at "demilitarizing" and "denazifying" the country.

Moscow has said the offensive as a necessary measure to protect the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics in the Donbass, which formally requested Russian military assistance this week against "Ukrainian aggression." The Kremlin had argued that Kiev was poised to reclaim Donbass republics - that split from Kiev following the US-backed coup in Ukraine in 2014 - by force as one of the reasons behind the urgent military action. The government of President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, denied having any such plans.

With Agency Inputs