One person has been killed and 21 others injured after a devastating wave of Russian missile strikes on Kyiv left a trail of destruction across the Ukrainian capital.
The overnight assault, which combined ballistic weapons and suicide drones, triggered emergency alarms nationwide just hours after officials warned of a potential launch involving Moscow’s advanced Oreshnik hypersonic missile.
Explosions echoed across the city after midnight on Sunday, forcing thousands of terrified families out of their beds and into the nearest Ukraine air raid shelter. The Kyiv military administration quickly confirmed that the mass bombardment had targeted multiple civilian sectors, causing severe structural damage in every single district.
Destruction hits the Kyiv military administration zones
The sheer scale of the bombardment became clear as dawn broke over the capital. Rescue teams rushed to clear rubble, put out fires, and pull survivors from collapsing buildings. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko used his official Telegram channel to update the public, writing that damage has been reported in all districts, including residential buildings and school.
According to the latest assessments from emergency workers, a 15-year-old boy was among those injured and 13 people have been taken to hospital, three of them in “a serious condition”, Klitschko said.
Russia’s overnight strike on Sunday hit more than 40 locations across Kyiv, with falling debris sparking fires at residential buildings, warehouses, a supermarket and shopping centre, according to Klitschko.
Emergency rescues at Ukraine air raid shelter sites
The historic central district of Shevchenko bore the brunt of the initial ballistic impact. A direct hit on a nine-story residential building killed one resident instantly and started a fast-moving fire on the upper floors. Just streets away, a separate explosion near a school caused widespread structural collapse.
The blast blocked the main entrance to a Ukraine air raid shelter at a school, trapping several people inside who had sought safety from the incoming fire.
Emergency teams used heavy machinery to clear massive piles of concrete and wood to free those trapped underground. The Kyiv military administration urged residents to remain calm as emergency workers systematically went through the worst-hit zones.
The cleanup of the aftermath of the shelling is ongoing,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, adding that the deployment of aid headquarters will be announced soon.
Retaliation threats and the Oreshnik hypersonic missile
This heavy bombardment follows a series of public threats from the Kremlin. The strikes come following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vow to retaliate after accusing Ukraine of carrying out a deadly attack on a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk on Friday, where 18 people were killed.
Moscow claimed that the site housed innocent students, but Kyiv officials quickly rejected this story. In a statement, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said it did carry out an attack near Starobilsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine overnight on Friday, but maintains that it struck a Russian military unit.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that there were signs that Russia was preparing for “a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv.” He cited intelligence from Ukraine, Europe and the US that signalled Russia could be preparing a strike with the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which reportedly travels more than 10 times the speed of light and is currently impossible to intercept.
The Kyiv military administration kept air sirens active for several hours as additional drones were tracked near the border. Tkachenko reminded the public that the capital has been subjected to a massive ballistic attack and warned that further launches are possible.
