Russia escalated the war in Ukraine with a large-scale overnight assault involving hundreds of drones, dozens of missiles and the reported deployment of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, leaving casualties and widespread destruction in Kyiv and other regions.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces used the Oreshnik hypersonic missile during the attacks, describing the strikes as retaliation for what it called Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure.
President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out a deadly strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk on Friday that reportedly killed 21 people.
Authorities in Ukraine said at least four people were killed in Kyiv and surrounding areas, where explosions were heard overnight into Sunday. Reports also indicated damage to residential buildings and schools.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was the main target of the assault, although several other regions also came under attack. He added that at least 83 people were injured.
Ukraine’s armed forces said they carried out a strike near Starobilsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine overnight on Friday, but maintained that the target was an elite Russian military unit.
European leaders condemned the latest Russian strikes, which followed warnings from President Zelensky that Moscow could launch a major attack and possibly deploy the Oreshnik missile.
The Oreshnik missile is reported to travel at more than 10 times the speed of sound and is believed to be capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. Reports say this would mark the third time Russia has used the missile during the conflict.
President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the reported use of the weapon, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described it as “a political scare tactic and reckless nuclear brinkmanship”.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the scenes in Kyiv as awful and said Britain would continue to increase pressure on Russia.
Edited by Maxwell Oyekunle
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