some places get today off as a holiday. some call it columbus day, some call it indigenous peoples day. but off for many institutions. >> you are right. look at that. taking a live look once again . a good monday morning to you. we're waking up to new waves of violence all across ukraine. . >> russian strikes hit ago dozen cities over overnight, include it is october 10th. >> retaliation. russia unleashes its biggest barrage since the start of the invasion after what vladimir putin calls a terrorist attack by ukrainian forces on a key bridge. at least one russian missile landing just feet from a playground as ukraine's president accuses putin of trying to wipe his country off

the face of the earth. we are live on the front lines in kyiv and in moscow. growing unrest. new antigovernment protests in iran overnight. school girls now joining the demonstrations and clashing with police amid a brutal crackdown. we're live in tehran with the very latest. doubling down. more republican leaders throwing their support behind herschel walker, set to hit the campaign trail for the embattled senate candidate. this as new details emerge about the abortion allegations walker is facing. we'll tell you where things stand with the midterms four weeks away. those stories, plus ready, set, shop. major retailers rolling out big holiday sales starting today. >> basically, black friday season has already started in full force. >> straight ahead, the popular gifts you'll want to target this week. and nailed it! >> justin tucker wins it for

baltimore! >> the baltimore star lifts the ravens over the bengals on the final play. this morning we go inside the game with the league's best kicker. >> look, the guy's got one job, that's my favorite one. he's got one job. you know, to be fair, that's mostly true. >> and uncover his secrets to success. today, monday, october 10th, 2022. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, welcome to "today." it's 7:00 a.m. on the west coast, so happy that you're joining us. savannah is off this morning. boy, justin tucker knows how to put a bow on it at the end of a game, doesn't he? >> i mean last night he did what he's done so many times, and perfect timing for us because later this morning, you spent some time with one of the best feet in the nfl.

>> i had a chance to visit with him. it is perfect timing. he's a guy who's so humble. he says when they lose a game, he loses it when it's on his foot, if they win a game, it's we won. first, let's get right to our breaking news, explosions overnight in ukraine, a series of missiles raining down on busy sections of kyiv and other major cities, and according to ukrainian officials, they were deliberately timed to kill. >> and those strikes come after a key bridge used by russia to deliver supplies was blown up. russian president vladimir putin now calling that move an act of terrorism. >> we are live in ukraine and in moscow with the very latest in this fast-moving escalating situation. we are going to start, though, with cal perry. cal has been there in kyiv throughout the bombings overnight. cal, what can you tell us? >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you. it was at 8:15 local, less than six hours ago at the height of rush hour when we heard loud concussion explosions. i can show you the site of one

of those explosives where a rocket, we believe, hit. now the death toll right now according to the armed forces here in ukraine chief of staff, at least eight people dead, another two dozen wounded. you can expect those numbers to rise. we want to show you the nearby damage these buildings took. it gives you an idea of the power of these explosions as these rescue teams in various parts of the city are trying to get to residents that are trapped. these were coordinated attacks across the country, guys, as far west as lviv, a city that has remained out of the war, now a city without power, and here in the capital just a few minutes ago we saw the mayor of kyiv make his way to the site of the attack. and he is urging people at this hour to stay inside. i can tell you the streets are now empty. so many residents now down in the subways bracing, they say, for potentially more attacks, hoda. >> cal, thank you for that breaking news. thank you. as we said, this new wave of russian violence comes in the wake of what vladimir putin calls terrorist acts carried out

against his country by ukrainian forces. nbc's chief international correspondent keir simmons is in moscow for us this morning once again. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. this morning president putin says russia is targeting energy, communication and military facilities in ukraine and he is threatening further, quote, harsh responses if what he says are terrorist attacks by ukraine on russian territory continue. russia's promised revenge coming this morning with those rocket attacks on major ukraine cities, striking back after another setback. in the past few hours, the russian leader on television calling the attacks retaliation. last night president putin branding this explosion on his prized bridge between russia and crimea a terrorist attack on civilian infrastructure. the bridge a crucial military supply line and symbol of russian strength quickly reopened but the destruction in

plain sight. while ukraine has not publicly admitted responsibility, russia is blaming ukrainian special forces for the explosion that happened almost exactly midway across the bridge after 6:00 a.m. saturday. the russians say this truck carrying fertilizer was the epicenter of the blast on a parallel rail bridge a locomotive filled with fuel tanks also caught fire while some explosives experts think the detonation was under the bridge. last month russian media reported an unmanned ukrainian drone boat capable of attacks from the sea washed up on a crimean beach. russian bloggers loyal to president putin now openly criticizing his military. the enemy has stopped being afraid, one said this weekend. another, hammer ukraine into the 18th century demands for escalations just days after president biden warned of armageddon under a statue of a russian revolutionary the anxiousness is palpable

do you find the atmosphere has changed in moscow? >> yes, a lot. the atmosphere has extremely changed. >> reporter: why >> people are worried about the situation in the city and in the country. >> reporter: craig, all through the weekend russian television showed pictures of that damaged bridge and the explosion craig, i have not seen coverage