Citizens in Kyiv emerge from shelters to queue at grocery stores after curfew ends

People queued for necessities as the curfew was lifted in Kyiv.Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

• Citizens returned to the streets after Kyiv's curfew was lifted on Monday morning.
• The curfew was announced Saturday after the capital was hit by airstrikes.

People were able to briefly return to the streets on Monday after a curfew was lifted in Kyiv.

Residents returned to the streets after the curfew in Kyiv.      Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images.

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko announced the curfew on Saturday, which took effect at 5 p.m. local time that day.

The recurring curfew lasted throughout the night.      Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images.

Klitschko said that the curfew would last from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following day. The mayor's office later confirmed that it would be in force continuously until Monday morning for "more effective defence of the capital," per Reuters.

The curfew was in place from Saturday evening through to Monday morning.      Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images.

The curfew came after the capital was attacked by airstrikes.

Buildings in Kyiv were hit by missile strikes.      Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

The curfew would also allow authorities to "sweep" the capital after Ukrainian officials learned that 400 Russian mercenaries were operating in the capital, The Times of London reported.

Streets were empty during the curfew in Kyiv.      Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images.

The mercenaries were operating with the aim of wiping out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's government, The Times reported.

Streets were empty during the curfew in Kyiv.      Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images.

In a statement released on Saturday, Klitschko said: "All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered as members of the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance groups."

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced the curfew on Saturday.      STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Citizens spent the curfew in bomb shelters, metro stations and other underground refuges.

Citizens gathered in underground bunkers and metro stations.      Sergei Chuzavkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

The curfew lifted on Monday morning, at 8 a.m. local time. Long queues formed outside grocery stores as civilians stocked up on necessities.

People in Kyiv queued outside grocery stores to stock up on goods.      Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

Citizens made their way past damaged buildings to visit stores.

People walked past damaged buildings caused by airstrikes.      Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

Authorities in Kyiv have imposed a new daily curfew lasting from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m., starting Monday.

People queued for groceries once the curfew was lifted in Kyiv.      Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.