Blasts shake Kyiv as tanks hit

KYIV, June 05 (BBC/AFP): A number of explosions shook parts of Kyiv early on Sunday in the first assault on Ukraine's capital for weeks.

Columns of black smoke could be seen above the city - Russia says it hit tanks supplied by European countries. At least one person was reported hurt.

The city has been largely spared in recent months as Russian forces concentrate attacks in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Some of the fiercest fighting is currently in the city of Severodonetsk.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation there remained "extremely difficult" with fighting being waged street by street.

Capturing the city would deliver the Luhansk region to Russian forces and their local separatist allies, who also control much of neighbouring Donetsk.

Severodonetsk and other cities in the eastern regions were being hit by "constant air strikes, artillery and missile fire" but Ukrainian forces were holding their ground, Mr Zelensky said.

On Saturday, Luhansk's governor said Ukrainian forces were still holding on to Severodonetsk but were awaiting precision weapons donated by Western allies.

"As soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run," Serhiy Haidai said.

The fighting has now left most of Severodonetsk in ruins, but thousands of civilians are still sheltering in basements there.

Governor Haidai said Russian forces were blowing up bridges on the river to prevent Ukraine bringing in military reinforcements and delivering aid to civilians.

Putin warns of new targets

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that Moscow will strike new targets if the West supplies long-range missiles to Ukraine and said new arms deliveries to Kyiv were aimed at "prolonging the conflict".

If Kyiv is supplied with long-range missiles, "we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our arms.... to strike targets we haven't hit before," Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

In extracts of an interview to be broadcast late Sunday on Rossiya-1 television, Putin did not specify exactly which targets could be hit nor the exact range of the missiles to which Moscow would react.

But his comments came just days after the United States announced it would supply Ukraine with Himars multiple launch rocket systems.

Himars is a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) away.