This is the moment a Russian missile airstrike smashed into the city council building of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine today (March 1).

CCTV footage captured by a public camera shows what appears to be a rocket hitting the government headquarters at 8:01 am local time shortly before a powerful blast damaged cars and shattered windows.

Footage of the aftermath sourced from a local resident shows debris scattered on the road after the explosion while the administration building was still standing.

The number of injuries or casualties is still unknown.

Ukrainian officials said at least 11 people have been killed by Russian missiles launched towards Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, as of February 28.

Kharkiv Regional State Administration head Oleh Synehubov said:

"The Russian enemy is shelling entire residential areas of Kharkiv, where there is no critical infrastructure, where there are no positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that the Russians could aim at."

This is the shocking moment a Russian missile airstrike smashes into city council building of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

CCTV video captured on March 1 shows what appears to be a rocket hitting the government headquarters at 8:01 am local time shortly before a powerful blast damaged cars and shattered windows.

Footage of the aftermath show debris scattered on the road after the explosion while the administration building was still standing.

The number of injuries or casualties is still unknown.

Ukrainian officials said at least 11 people have been killed by Russian missiles launched towards Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, as of February 28.

Kharkiv Regional State Administration head Oleh Synehubov said: ‘The Russian enemy is shelling entire residential areas of Kharkiv, where there is no critical infrastructure, where there are no positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that the Russians could aim at.’

Russia President Vladimir Putin announced a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine’s Donbas region last week. He said in a public address on February 24: ‘We decided to launch a special military action aimed at demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pleaded for peace but added that Ukraine will defend itself from any invasion attempts.

He said: ‘If they attack, if they try to take our county – our freedom, our lives, the lives of our children – we will be defending ourselves.’