Several people have been killed in Ukraine after Russia fired missiles across the country, with explosions reported from the capital Kiev to the eastern city of Kharkiv.

At least one woman was killed in Kiev, where a series of explosions were heard overnight and air-defence systems were activated, the local military administration said early Tuesday.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko had earlier spoken of nine injured, including a 13-year-old boy.

Authorities said at least two people died and 11 others were injured in Kharkiv, which lies only a few dozen kilometres from the Russian border.

One dead and one injured person were reported from Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In Kiev, Mayor Klitschko said there was damage to residential buildings and that several cars were set on fire by falling debris from missile interceptions.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a multi-storey residential building was hit in Ukraine’s second-largest city. Rescue workers were searching for people possibly trapped in the wreckage.

A large-scale air alert was earlier announced across Ukraine.