Russia has launched yet another large-scale attack on Ukraine, because apparently the previous ones weren't quite large enough. This time, they fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, killing at least four people and injuring 83 others.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv was the main target, though other regions also got the unwanted attention. Explosions echoed across the capital region overnight into Sunday, and residential buildings and schools reported damage. Because nothing says 'we're not targeting civilians' like hitting schools.
Russia's defence ministry claimed the strikes were in response to Ukraine's attacks on civilian infrastructure, and boasted about using the Oreshnik hypersonic missile. This missile, which travels at more than 10 times the speed of sound and is 'impossible to intercept,' has now been used for the third time in the conflict. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, which is comforting.
President Vladimir Putin also accused Ukraine of a deadly strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk on Friday, killing 21 people. Ukraine's armed forces admitted to an attack near Starobilsk but insisted they hit an elite Russian military unit. Because who wouldn't confuse a student dorm with a military base?
Zelensky warned ahead of time that Russia was planning an attack and might use the Oreshnik missile. True to form, Russia obliged. Zelensky claimed the missile was fired at Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, though Ukraine's presidential office later said they weren't confirming that yet. Work is ongoing to determine exactly which terrifying weapon was used.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the reported use of the Oreshnik, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described it as a 'political scare-tactic and reckless nuclear-brinkmanship.' EU foreign ministers plan to discuss how to 'dial up the international pressure on Russia' next week. We're sure that will be very effective.
Ukraine's air force reported detecting 90 missiles and 600 drones from 18:00 local time on Saturday. Early data shows 55 missiles and 549 drones were shot down, while 19 missiles may have missed their targets entirely. The attack struck more than 50 locations across Kyiv, including residential buildings, shopping centres, and emergency services buildings. Because why not hit the people who help?
Zelensky said 69 people were injured in the capital alone, and a water-supply facility was also attacked. The Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv was 'effectively destroyed,' which is a shame - it was probably the only museum about a nuclear disaster that didn't need further disaster.
Russia's defence ministry denied targeting civilian infrastructure, claiming they hit command posts for the Main Command of the Ground Forces and the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate. Ukraine has not confirmed this, likely because they're busy dealing with the aftermath.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported two deaths in the city itself, with 36 others hospitalized, including two children. One person died after a nine-storey residential building in the Shevchenko district was hit and a fire broke out on the top floors. In the same district, a strike near an air raid shelter at a school blocked its entrance with debris, trapping several people inside. Emergency services rushed to put out fires, clear debris, and treat the injured.
In the wider Kyiv region, two more people were killed, according to regional head Mykola Kalashnyk. He described the attack as 'deliberate terror against peaceful people,' which is probably the most accurate description we've heard all day. Emergency services are working in all places, because that's what they do.
Outside Kyiv, the regions of Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, and Zhytomyr also came under attack, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. So, basically, all the places.