Russia conducted a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv on Sunday, killing at least two people and wounding 83, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed. The attack involved the use of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads, marking the third time Russia has deployed it during the war.
The Oreshnik missile, known as one of Russia’s most advanced weapons capable of flying at Mach 10 and evading missile defenses, struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, although the exact target remains unclear. Alongside the hypersonic missile, the strike involved approximately 600 drones and 90 air-, sea-, and ground-launched missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept or jam a large portion of the attack, shooting down 549 drones and 55 missiles, but significant strikes still penetrated defenses. Damage was reported to buildings across 50 locations in Kyiv, including residential complexes, government offices, schools, markets, supermarkets, and police stations. Fires and structural collapses complicated rescue efforts throughout the night.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated the strikes targeted Ukrainian military command centers, air bases, and military-industrial sites as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attacks on civilian facilities inside Russia. It denied targeting civilian infrastructure in the air assault. This attack follows recent escalations, including Russia’s condemnation of a Ukrainian drone strike on a college dormitory in Russian-held eastern Ukraine.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed damage to a school where people were sheltering, and a residential building fire in the Shevchenko district claimed at least one life. Multiple other residents reported severe destruction and displacement, with some considering relocating from the capital amid the intensified bombardment.
Why it matters
The use of the Oreshnik missile underscores the increasing lethality and sophistication of Russian strikes on Ukraine. The scale of the assault also exposes Ukraine’s ongoing shortage of interceptor missiles capable of defending against high-speed ballistic threats, relying heavily on limited U.S.-supplied Patriot systems. This exposes Kyiv to potential future waves of missile attacks intended to deplete its air defense capacity ahead of anticipated escalations in fighting.
European leaders condemned the Russian attack, describing it as deliberate terrorism against civilians. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned that EU diplomats are preparing to intensify international pressure on Russia in response to these strikes.
Background
Russia first deployed the Oreshnik missile in November 2024, targeting the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, with subsequent use in January 2026 in the Lviv region. Kremlin claims describe the missile as capable of destroying deep underground bunkers and immune to missile defense systems.
The war, which began in 2022, has seen repeated Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, with Kyiv frequently targeted. Both sides accuse each other of attacks on civilians. Ukraine and its Western allies consistently allege that Russia targets civilian infrastructure as part of a strategy to terrorize the population, while Russia denies these accusations and attributes its strikes to military objectives or retaliation.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source:
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