Russian missiles struck central Kyiv at sunrise on Friday, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others. The attack, described by European leaders as barbaric, caused damage to embassies, a university, and several districts of the Ukrainian capital.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported intercepting all five Iskander missiles launched by Russia, but debris from the intercepted projectiles caused significant damage. One missile’s warhead reportedly exploded near a business center, despite being intercepted.
The strikes killed a 53-year-old man and injured others, primarily from shrapnel wounds. Buildings housing the embassies of Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, Montenegro, and Albania were damaged, according to the Ukrainian foreign ministry. Kyiv National Linguistics University also suffered extensive damage, with windows blown out and glass littering the floors.
“This is a heinous Russian attack,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, condemning the strikes. The Portuguese government summoned the Russian Federation’s chargé d’affaires to formally protest.
Retaliation Claims and Diplomatic Fallout
The Russian government stated that the attack was retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a chemical plant in Russia earlier this week, reportedly carried out using Western missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia would respond to strikes on its territory.
The Russian defence ministry claimed it targeted an office of Ukraine’s SBU security service and a defense industry site, declaring all targets hit.
Later in the day, Russian officials reported a Ukrainian strike on the town of Rylsk in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have reportedly operated since August. The strike caused deaths and injuries, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Zelensky Responds to Putin’s Threats
The attacks came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a “high-tech duel” to test the capabilities of Russia’s new hypersonic missile, Oreshnik, against Kyiv’s air defenses.
“Let them concentrate all their air defenses on a target in Kyiv,” Putin said. “We will launch an Oreshnik strike and see what happens.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Putin’s remarks, calling him a “dumbass” for trivializing the loss of human lives.
Kherson Under Fire
In Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson, Russian strikes killed two people and disrupted power to 60,000 homes, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
“The occupants have created hell in the city,” Prokudin said. Russian forces, positioned on the opposite side of the Dnipro River, have kept Kherson under constant shelling since Ukrainian troops liberated it in November 2022.
A Russian sabotage group attempted to cross the river during the shelling but was repelled, Ukrainian defense officials said.
Eastern Offensive Escalates
Russian forces are ramping up their offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. This week, they captured two villages near the city of Pokrovsk as the war continues to intensify nearly three years into Russia’s invasion.
