Ukraine war live updates: Blasts rock Kyiv as drones attack the capital; Belarus watched for signs it’s preparing for war

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has woke to blasts and air raid sirens on Wednesday, according to reports from local officials who said the city had been attacked by Iranian-made “Shahed” drones.

Oleksii Kuleba, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, warned residents that the air alert remained in place and that civilians should shelter. “The air alert continues. The danger remains. Stay in shelters,” he said.

It’s unknown what structures the drone attacks were targeting but Kuleba said “Russia continues the energy terror of the country.”

In other news, snap Belarusian military drills that began on Tuesday sparked concerns about an escalation of the war in Ukraine, although Ukraine’s armed forces said they have not yet seen signs of the “formation of enemy offensive groups” along the Belarus-Ukraine border.

Ukrainian and Polish military officials discussed the “security situation on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border” after the check on the combat-readiness of troops in Belarus, according to NBC News, and agreed to coordinate joint action in the days ahead.

Belarus borders Ukraine to the north and Poland to the east. While Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said his country will not join the war, Belarus is Russia’s ally and has allowed it to launch attacks on Ukraine from its territory.