Ukrainian officials said Russia launched one of its largest aerial attacks on Kyiv overnight Sunday, using hundreds of drones and missiles and, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile. The strike killed at least four people, injured dozens and damaged sites across the capital and surrounding region.
Zelenskyy said the Oreshnik hit Bila Tserkva, a city in the Kyiv region, though the intended target was not immediately clear. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia fired 600 strike drones and 90 missiles from air, sea and ground platforms. It said Ukrainian defenses destroyed or jammed 549 drones and intercepted 55 missiles, while about 19 missiles failed to reach their targets.
The reported use of the Oreshnik would be the third in the war. Russia first used the multiple-warhead weapon against Dnipro in November 2024, and again in January in the Lviv region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the missile as travelling at Mach 10, capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads and difficult for missile defences to stop. Such claims have not been independently verified in the report.
Kyiv authorities said damage was recorded in 40 locations, including residential buildings, schools, supermarkets, warehouses and areas near government offices. Emergency officials reported a fire at a five-storey residential building in the Shevchenko district, where one person was killed. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said a school was damaged while people were sheltering inside.
Residents described powerful explosions, smoke and shock waves during the night. One long-time market worker said her workplace had been destroyed and that she planned to leave Kyiv. Another resident said his apartment was badly damaged after an explosion threw him and his dog backward.
The attack followed Ukrainian warnings, based on Western intelligence, that Russia might use the Oreshnik again. The full military objective remained unclear.