KYIV, UKRAINE: At least one person was killed and nine injured in a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early Friday, marking Moscow’s response to Ukraine’s recent cross-border strike using U.S.-supplied weapons.
Kyiv was rocked by at least three blasts before dawn, with Ukraine’s air force intercepting five Iskander ballistic missiles. Debris caused fires and damaged infrastructure, cutting heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and kindergartens, according to city officials.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strike answered a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Rostov region two days earlier, involving six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and four UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Ukraine claimed the Rostov strike targeted an oil refinery supporting Russia’s war effort.
The use of Western-supplied missiles on Russian soil has drawn Kremlin ire. In retaliation, Russia deployed “high-precision, long-range weapons” to hit a Ukrainian military intelligence command center, Neptune missile production sites, and U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems. The Kremlin reported all targets were successfully hit, though independent verification remains pending.
Meanwhile, Russia unveiled its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which President Vladimir Putin suggested could target Kyiv’s government buildings. However, no further use of the weapon has been reported.
The escalating exchanges highlight the growing reliance on advanced weaponry in the nearly three-year conflict.
