Russian attack on Kiev damages German public broadcaster ARD's studios

The TV studio used by correspondents for German public broadcaster ARD in the Ukrainian capital Kiev was badly damaged in the massive overnight Russian attacks, ARD's affiliate broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne said on Sunday.

A blast wave from the Russian attacks likely caused destruction in the centrally located studio. Windows were shattered, rooms were devastated and walls collapsed, the WDR said in a statement. No one was in the studio at the time of the attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the studio is located in the building of the National Art Museum which was damaged in the attacks. "The structural safety of the building must now be checked," the WDR said. Reporting would continue backed by "mobile technical solutions and alternative options."

"Torn-out window frames, splinters everywhere, destroyed equipment - seeing your own workplace completely devastated is a shock," said Kiev ARD studio head Vassili Golod. His team would not be intimidated by the Russian attacks, he said.

WDR Director-General Katrin Vernau said she was "very relieved that our staff were not injured in this attack," according to the statement. Reporting would continue even under the dangerous conditions and the state of emergency "so that people in Germany get the most important information from Ukraine first-hand".