A loud explosion has rocked the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early morning, shortly after the military warned of a possible ballistic missile threat.

Residents said the blast was heard at around 5:02 a.m. (GMT+2), minutes after air raid sirens sounded across the region, The Caspian Post reports via Ukrainian media.

Journalists on the ground confirmed the explosion, which followed an alert from Ukraine’s Air Force about a high-speed aerial target approaching the Kharkiv region from the northeast. The military did not immediately specify the type of weapon involved.

As of early morning, local authorities had not released official information on damage, casualties, or the intended target of the strike. At 5:11 a.m., air raid alerts remained active not only in Kharkiv, but also in the Sumy Region, Chernihiv Region, Poltava Region, Cherkasy Region, Kirovohrad Region, Dnipropetrovsk Region, Zaporizhzhia Region, and Donetsk Region, according to Ukraine’s air defense monitoring systems. Residents were urged to remain in shelters until the all-clear signal was issued.

The explosion comes just days after Russian forces struck an energy facility in Kharkiv on January 26, leaving around 40 per cent of the city’s consumers without electricity. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to suspend attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for one week, claiming the request was accepted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later confirmed that an energy-related truce had been reached. However, despite diplomatic efforts, Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory have continued, underscoring the persistent security risks facing the country.