Drones and missiles hit Kyiv, killing one and injuring three
Quick Look
- Kyiv was hit by drones and missiles early Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least three.
- Residential buildings and a school were damaged.
- The strike followed warnings about Russia's hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which Putin has boasted about.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Kyiv was hit by drones and missiles shortly after 1am local time on Sunday, resulting in one death and at least three injuries. Residential buildings and a school were damaged. This strike follows warnings from Ukraine's air force and President Zelenskiy about Russia's potential use of the hypersonic Oreshnik missile.
Drones and missiles have hit Ukraine's capital Kyiv shortly after 1am local time on Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least three.
Several residential buildings were damaged across the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that debris was on fire at a school premises in the city centre.
The strike came following a warning from Ukraine's air force saying that Russia might launch a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy had also warned on Saturday that Russia was preparing a strike against Ukraine using the Oreshnik missile, citing intelligence from Ukraine, the US and Europe.
Putin boasted about missile
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously boasted about the Oreshnik missile, claiming it is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound.
Ukraine has previously been hit twice by the Oreshnik missile by Russia: first in November 2024, and in January 2026.
Following a Ukrainian strike on a student dorm in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine overnight on Saturday, Putin had ordered his military to prepare options for retaliation.
The head of the Russian-installed administration in the Luhansk region said that 18 people had been killed in the strike, with a further 48 injured and 10 still accounted for.
Following the January attack, leaders in Britian, France and Germany described Russia's use of an Oreshnik ballistic missile as "escalatory and unacceptable".
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Further retaliatory strikes from Russia or Ukraine.
Likely · Within days
International condemnation of the attack.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What is the full extent of the damage in Kyiv?
- What will be Russia's next move?
- What will be Ukraine's response?
- What is the international community's reaction to this specific escalation?
