Russia unleashes massive hypersonic missile strike on Kyiv

On Sunday night Russia launched a large‑scale assault on Ukraine’s capital, deploying about 600 drones and 90 missiles. Among the missiles was a hypersonic Orekh (Oresjnik) ballistic weapon, used for only the second time in combat. Ukrainian air‑defence forces reported intercepting 549 of the drones and 55 of the missiles, though the Orekh missile struck a water‑supply facility and caused extensive damage across the city.

The attacks hit residential blocks, government offices, markets, schools and a shelter‑building, injuring at least 83 people and killing four, including two in Kyiv proper and two in the surrounding region. Ukrainian officials described the night as “unprecedented” in the four‑year war. Russia said the strike was retaliation for recent Ukrainian actions in the Russian‑occupied Luhansk region. Western intelligence had warned that Russia was preparing a new offensive using the hypersonic missile.

The assault prompted city authorities to advise civilians to remain in bomb shelters as the fighting continued into daylight, underscoring the heightened intensity of the conflict.