Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region, killing at least four people and wounding nearly 100. The assault, described as one of the largest overnight aerial attacks since the beginning of the invasion, caused deaths both within the capital and the wider Kyiv region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia used the powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during the attack, specifically striking the city of Bila Tserkva. This marks the third time Russia has deployed the Oreshnik, following previous strikes in Dnipro in November 2024 and the Lviv region in January. While the missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and has a range of several thousand kilometers, Russia stated it was used without a nuclear warhead in this instance.
The strikes damaged 40 locations, including residential buildings, schools, a market, a water supply facility, museums, and areas near government offices. Russian forces stated the attack was a response to Ukrainian drone strikes on civilian infrastructure in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, which hit a college dormitory and killed at least 18 people.
Ukrainian authorities and the US embassy had issued warnings of a potentially significant assault hours before the barrage began. Buildings across the city center rattled for hours as the intense aerial assault pounded the capital.