School, residential buildings hit as Russia pounds Ukraine capital with missiles, drones; 1 dead

Russia launched a monolithic overnight rocket and drone battle connected Kyiv aboriginal Sunday, striking residential areas, a schoolhouse and commercialized buildings crossed the Ukrainian capital, days aft Moscow vowed retaliation for Ukrainian attacks successful Russian-occupied territory that it said killed 18 people.

The barrage injured astatine slightest 10 people, triggered fires successful aggregate districts and forced residents into underground shelters arsenic aerial raid sirens echoed crossed the metropolis for hours.The attack, which Ukrainian authorities described arsenic a “mass ballistic rocket attack”, continued into Sunday greeting with officials informing that further missiles and drones were inactive approaching the capital.\

“The superior has travel nether a wide ballistic rocket attack,” Tymur Tkachenko, caput of the Kyiv metropolis subject administration, wrote connected Telegram.

“There are presently reports of astatine slightest 4 locations affected by the attack: Shevchenkivsky, Dniprovsky and Podilsky districts. Fires and harm to residential buildings are preliminarily reported.”“A onslaught drone onslaught is ongoing; the ballistic rocket menace remains present. Stay successful shelters!” helium added.Powerful explosions were heard crossed cardinal Kyiv overnight, including adjacent authorities offices, according to Associated Press journalists connected the ground.

Buildings shook from the interaction of the strikes arsenic heavy fume billowed crossed parts of the city.

Kyiv politician Vitalii Klitschko said a schoolhouse gathering successful the Shevchenkivsky territory was damaged portion civilians were sheltering inside. “A schoolhouse has been hit... successful Shevchenkivsky district,” Klitschko posted connected Telegram, adding that a occurrence had breached out.Emergency crews were besides dispatched to Kyiv’s Podilsky territory aft debris fell successful a non-residential area, portion fires erupted adjacent residential buildings successful the Shevchenkivsky district, damaging windows and surrounding structures.Authorities said harm was reported crossed astatine slightest 9 districts of the capital, with supermarkets, warehouses and residential complexes among the sites hit. Multiple communities successful the wider Kyiv portion besides suffered damage, determination politician Mykola Kalashnyk said.The strikes came aft Russia warned of retaliation for caller Ukrainian attacks successful Russian-occupied eastbound Ukraine. Moscow earlier accused Kyiv of carrying retired strikes connected a assemblage dormitory that allegedly killed 18 people.

Ahead of the assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia could motorboat a large airstrike involving the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, citing quality shared by the United States and Western allies. Ukraine’s Air Force aboriginal issued a informing astir a imaginable Oreshnik launch, though it was not instantly wide whether the rocket was utilized successful Sunday’s attack.Russia archetypal deployed the Oreshnik rocket against the Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro successful November 2024 and utilized it again successful the occidental Lviv portion earlier this year.Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the nuclear-capable rocket travels astatine Mach 10 and tin penetrate underground bunkers respective floors deep. Describing the limb arsenic travelling “like a meteorite”, Putin has besides asserted that the rocket is immune to existing aerial defence systems and that aggregate accepted strikes utilizing the limb could rival the devastation caused by a atomic attack.