Russia launched one of its most intense attacks on Kyiv since the war began, bombarding the Ukrainian capital and surrounding areas with hundreds of drones and missiles overnight on Sunday.
The large-scale assault killed at least four people, including two in Kyiv and two others in nearby regions, while nearly 100 people were reported injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
Authorities said dozens of residential buildings, schools and historic landmarks across the city suffered heavy damage during the hours-long bombardment.
In a major escalation, Russia also fired an Oreshnik missile — a hypersonic intermediate-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads — near the capital.
It marked only the third time Moscow has used the Oreshnik missile since the war started following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack and urged Western allies to respond more aggressively.
“It is important that this does not remain without consequences for Russia,” Zelenskyy said, calling for stronger action from the United States, Europe and other allies.
European leaders swiftly criticised the assault, with officials from Germany and United Kingdom describing the use of the Oreshnik missile as a dangerous escalation.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Moscow of engaging in reckless nuclear brinkmanship and political intimidation.
The attack caused damage to Ukraine’s Cabinet building and Foreign Ministry, while cultural landmarks in central Kyiv were also badly hit.
Officials confirmed that Kyiv’s national art museum and philharmonic hall suffered major destruction alongside several historic structures.
One strike reportedly destroyed a newly opened museum dedicated to the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Zelenskyy’s top aide Kyrylo Budanov described the bombardment as an attack not just on infrastructure, but on Ukrainian identity and history itself.
Russia’s Defence Ministry later claimed the strikes targeted military command facilities, air bases and military-industrial sites in retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets inside Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, despite thousands of deaths caused by strikes on Ukrainian cities throughout the war.
Ukraine’s air force revealed that Russia launched a staggering 90 missiles and 600 drones during the overnight offensive.
The heavily damaged Lukyanivka district, located north of Kyiv’s city centre, was among the hardest-hit areas.
A shopping centre and nearby market were engulfed in flames, while apartment blocks and commercial buildings suffered severe destruction.
Residents described scenes of panic as explosions echoed across the capital through the night.
Many civilians rushed into underground metro stations seeking shelter from the bombardment.
One Kyiv resident said the attack was “terrifying” as blasts rocked the city without warning.
The latest escalation comes as the war enters its fifth year, with growing fears that the conflict could intensify even further amid continued missile strikes and rising geopolitical tensions across Europe.
