Kyiv, May 24 (V7N) – Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Sunday, shortly after Ukraine warned of a possible strike using Russia’s hypersonic “Oreshnik” ballistic missile, according to Reuters.
Explosions were heard across Kyiv shortly after 1:00 am local time. The attack began soon after the Ukrainian Air Force issued a warning on Telegram about a potential Oreshnik missile launch.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least three people were injured in the attack. Several residential buildings were also damaged in different parts of the city. He added that debris from a missile caused a fire in a school building located in central Kyiv.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing a major strike using Oreshnik missiles. He claimed Ukrainian, US and European intelligence agencies had received information regarding the possible attack.
However, the Ukrainian Air Force did not immediately confirm whether any Oreshnik missile had successfully hit its target.
Russia has reportedly used the Oreshnik missile twice before. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously claimed that the missile travels at more than 10 times the speed of sound and is nearly impossible to intercept.
Prior to the latest escalation, Putin instructed Russian forces to prepare for retaliatory action, citing a Ukrainian drone strike on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military, however, stated that the target of the drone operation was a Russian command facility, not civilian infrastructure.
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