Earlier on Sunday, Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on Kiev, hitting residential areas, a school and commercial buildings in the Ukrainian capital. Days earlier, Moscow vowed to retaliate against Ukrainian attacks in Russian-occupied territories that it said killed 18 people. The artillery attack injured at least 10 people, sparked fires in several areas, forced residents to take shelter in underground shelters, and air-raid sirens were in effect across the city for several hours.Ukrainian authorities described the attack as a “large-scale ballistic missile attack” that continued into Sunday morning, with officials warning that more missiles and drones were still approaching the capital.“The capital was hit by a large-scale ballistic missile attack,” Teymur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev City Military Administration, wrote on Telegram. “There are currently reports that at least four locations were affected by the attack: Shevchenkievsky District, Dniprosky District and Podolsky District. Initial reports stated that fires and residential buildings were damaged.”“Attack drone attacks are ongoing; the ballistic missile threat remains. Stay in shelter!” he added.According to an Associated Press reporter on the scene, strong explosions were heard in downtown Kiev overnight, including near government offices. Buildings were shaking from the impact of the strike, and smoke billowed out of parts of the city.Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a school building in the Shevchenkivsky district was damaged and civilians were taking refuge inside the school. “A school in the Shevchenkosky district was attacked,” Klitschko posted on Telegram, adding that a fire had broken out.Emergency crews were also dispatched to Kiev’s Podolsky district after debris fell in non-residential areas, while a fire broke out near a residential building in the Shevchenko district, damaging windows and surrounding structures.Authorities said damage was reported in at least nine areas of the capital, with supermarkets, warehouses and residential areas affected. Kyiv region governor Mykola Kalashnik said multiple communities in the wider Kiev region had also suffered losses.The attack came after Russia warned it would retaliate against recent attacks by Ukraine in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Moscow earlier blamed Kiev for an attack on a university dormitory that allegedly killed 18 people.Before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia could launch a large-scale air strike using Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles, citing intelligence shared by the United States and Western allies. The Ukrainian air force later warned of the possibility of launching Oreshnik missiles, but it was unclear whether the missiles were used in Sunday’s attack.Russia first deployed Oreshnik missiles against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024 and used them again in western Lviv earlier this year.Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the nuclear-capable missile can fly at Mach 10 and can penetrate underground bunkers several stories deep. Putin described the weapon as flying “like a meteorite” and claimed that the missile was not affected by existing air defense systems and that multiple conventional strikes using the weapon could rival the damage caused by a nuclear attack.
