Ukrainian official 'targeted in car bomb attack' in Kyiv

 A suspected car bomb in Kyiv hit an SUV belonging to a senior Ukrainian defence or security officer.

At the time of the explosion two people were in or close to the vehicle. A senior officer was reported to have been targeted.

One man is believed to have been hospitalised. His identity and condition was not revealed. An account citing the Kyiv prosecutor’s office indicated the explosion came as the rear door of the SUV was opened.

A "serviceman" received "shrapnel injuries". A woman who was nearby on Heroes of the Dnieper Street was reported not to be hurt.

The explosion - which some reports said was triggered by a remote control - has been categorised as a "terrorist" incident. It was not initially clear if the explosion was feared to be a Russian assassination attempt, but a swarm of law enforcement and security officers rushed to the scene.

Police, dog handlers, bomb technicians, and other services were at the scene in Kyiv's Obolonskyi district, according to reports. There were claims the car belonged to a senior defence official, but others said the ownership was from the police.

The prosecutor's office statement said the victim was a "serviceman". Both Ukraine and Russia have targeted senior armed forces and secret services officials in assassination attempts during the war.

The explosion comes amid fears Vladimir Putin could eye up more ex-Soviet states for invasion in the event of a lopsided deal to bring peace to Ukraine. Any agreement that is in favour of either side would not deliver lasting peace but merely pause the fighting, leading the Russian despot to regroup and strike once more, Moldova's president previously said.

Maia Sandu warned that unless Donald Trump, the US president, who claimed this weekend that a peace deal was "close to 95 per cent done", was willing to impose meaningful pressure on Putin, Russia's ambitions to subjugate Ukraine and dominate Europe would only be emboldened.

"I believe that President Trump wants peace and we appreciate this very much,” she told The Telegraph. “I just don’t believe there is enough pressure today on Russia to make them agree to stop the war in Ukraine."