Russia launched a massive attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region early Sunday, using its hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile for the third time in the conflict. The assault killed at least four people and injured about 100, according to Ukrainian officials.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as a “heavy assault” that hit a water supply facility, burned down a market, and damaged dozens of residential buildings and several schools. He said Kyiv was the primary target, with the city of Bila Tserkva also struck by the Oreshnik missile.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported two deaths and 56 injuries in the capital, with damage recorded in every district. An attack on a school started a fire, and a business centre strike trapped people in a shelter. The surrounding Kyiv region reported two additional deaths and nine wounded.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the use of the Oreshnik, which can carry nuclear or conventional warheads, alongside Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon missiles. It claimed the strikes targeted Ukrainian military facilities and were retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine’s National Art Museum and foreign ministry were also damaged, the latter for the first time since World War Two. The culture ministry said the museum’s collection was unharmed, but the building suffered broken windows and debris. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack “barbaric”.
Zelenskyy urged that the assault “not pass without consequences for Russia”, as the barrage followed Putin’s vow of revenge over a Ukrainian drone attack on a student dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk, which Ukraine denied.
