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Kyiv bombarded overnight as fears of Russian hypersonic missile attack escalate

At least one person has died and a further 20 were injured in the strikes

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Ukrainian firefighters dig through rubble and extinguish flames in a residential building during rescue operations in Kyiv.
Ukrainian firefighters dig through rubble and extinguish flames in a residential building during rescue operations in Kyiv. Picture: Alamy

By Poppy Jacobs

The Ukrainian capital was hit by a massive strikes of missiles and drones in the early hours of Sunday in "one of the worst nights of war" so far.

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The bombardment came shortly after Ukraine's air force warned Russia might launch a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile on its Telegram channel.

The first explosions reverberated through the capital just after 1am on Sunday morning, with officials confirming one death and another 20 injured.

Several residential buildings were damaged across the city, according to Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko.

"The capital has come under a mass ballistic missile attack,” Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said.

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Firefighters work at the scene of a fire in a destroyed apartment building as a result of a Russian missile attack.
Firefighters work at the scene of a fire in a destroyed apartment building as a result of a Russian missile attack. Picture: Alamy

He reported at least four locations affected by the attack, including the Shevchenkivsky, Dniprovsky and Podilsky districts, and said the majority of reports were of fires and damage to residential buildings.

It remains unclear whether an Oreshnik struck any target during the attack.

Writing on social media, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that use of weapons like the Oreshnik missile “sets a global precedent for other potential aggressors”.

“If Russia is allowed to destroy lives on such a scale, then no agreement will restrain other similar hatred-based regimes from aggression and strikes.

"We count on a response from the world – and on a response that is not post factum, but preventive. Pressure must be put on Moscow so that it does not expand the war.”