At least four people have been killed in intense Russian bombardments targeting Kyiv and its surrounding region from Saturday night to Sunday morning, local authorities report.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed two deaths and 56 injuries in the capital, including two children. In the broader region, two more fatalities and nine injuries were reported, among them a baby under one year old, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional administration.
Russia launched 600 drones and 90 missiles overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Of these, Ukraine says it intercepted 55 missiles and 549 drones, as reported via Telegram.
The missiles included a medium-range ballistic missile, the Air Force said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed on Telegram that Russia used an “Oreshnik,” a new hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Zelenskyy condemned the attacks, stating, “Three Russian missiles hit a drinking water facility, a market is ablaze, dozens of residential buildings are damaged, and he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) launched an Oreshnik against Bila Tserkva. They are simply insane.” Bila Tserkva is a city to the south of Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, accused Moscow of carrying out “one of the largest terrorist attacks on Kyiv.”
Russia had earlier warned of retaliation following a deadly Ukrainian drone strike on a school in Luhansk, an annexed region in eastern Ukraine. On Saturday, Zelenskyy had already cautioned that Russia was preparing to deploy the Oreshnik missile, a warning echoed by the US embassy, which alerted of an imminent attack.
