Russia bombarded Ukraine overnight with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, Ukrainian officials said, in an assault that killed at least four people in Kyiv and wounded at least 25 others. Authorities said apartment buildings were struck in the capital. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said the dead included an emergency medical aid worker, and officials reported that four doctors and one police officer were injured while responding to the attacks.
The strikes disrupted basic services in freezing weather. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about half of Kyiv’s apartment buildings — nearly 6,000 — were left without heat as temperatures were around minus 8°C (17.6°F), and that water supplies were also disrupted in some areas. He said portable boiler units helped restore power and heating at public facilities, including hospitals and maternity wards. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Qatari Embassy in Kyiv was damaged, noting that Qatar has helped mediate prisoner-of-war exchanges and urging a “clear response,” especially from the United States.
Oreshnik Missile Fired, Debris Recovered in Lviv Region
Ukrainian officials said Russia also used its nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, which the AP described as being deployed for only the second time in the nearly four-year war. Ukraine’s Security Service said it identified debris believed to be from the missile in the western Lviv region and that the weapon was launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea. Investigators said the missile struck civilian infrastructure.
Russia did not specify the exact impact site, but the AP reported that Russian media and military bloggers said the missile hit an underground natural gas storage facility in the Lviv region, near the route used for Western aid entering Ukraine from Poland. Vladimir Putin has claimed the Oreshnik travels at Mach 10 and cannot be intercepted by missile defenses. The AP also cited Ukrainian intelligence saying the missile carries six warheads, each carrying six submunitions, while analysts have described the system as a tool meant to heighten pressure on Ukraine and intimidate its supporters.
Drones and Debris Set Fires in Kyiv Districts
Kyiv officials said several districts were hit as drones crashed into residential areas or broke apart in flight. In the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multistory building and damaged the first two floors of another residential building, according to Tkachenko. In the Dnipro district, parts of a drone damaged a multistory building and a fire broke out. Dmytro Karpenko, 45, said his windows were shattered and that he ran to help after seeing a neighbor’s home burning.
Ukraine’s Security Service said it recovered Oreshnik debris in the Lviv region as investigators examined strike sites. The AP noted that Russia first used the Oreshnik against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024, framing the weapon as a high-speed system intended to sharpen pressure at a time when Ukraine’s allies are debating security guarantees and deterrence options.
Retaliation Claim Rejected as Diplomacy Tightens
Russia’s Defense Ministry described the barrage as retaliation for what Moscow claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on one of Putin’s residences last month. The AP reported that Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump rejected that claim.
Ukraine said the Oreshnik launch so close to the EU and NATO border posed a broader security threat. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv would seek an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council and convene the Ukraine-NATO Council. The leaders of Britain, France, and Germany condemned the strike as “escalatory and unacceptable,” while Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top foreign policy envoy, said Russia’s reply to diplomacy was “more missiles and destruction.” The AP also reported that Pope Leo XIV urged an immediate ceasefire and renewed dialogue.
The AP also said the attack came amid a further chill between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic, and it reported Trump’s support for a sanctions package intended to increase economic pressure on Russia.
