Russia deployed its advanced hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile for a third time against Ukraine during a large-scale strike on Kyiv and nearby areas that left at least four dead and dozens wounded. The missile struck Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He outlined an assault that damaged a water facility, destroyed a market, hit numerous homes and schools, and included the Oreshnik launch. Zelenskyy called the attackers deranged in a Telegram post. On Sunday he added on X that 83 injuries and several deaths had been confirmed since midnight, with Kyiv suffering the heaviest impact. Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged using the Oreshnik, which can carry nuclear or conventional warheads, marking its third deployment in the conflict. It reported successful strikes on Ukrainian military command posts, airfields and industrial sites using Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal and Zircon missiles, describing the operation as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian sites. Zelenskyy said the barrage involved 600 drones and 90 missiles, 36 of them ballistic. Not all ballistic missiles were intercepted, and Kyiv received the most hits as the main target. He stressed that the assault must not go unanswered. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported two deaths and 56 injuries in the capital, while the regional head noted two fatalities and nine wounded in surrounding areas. Damage occurred across all Kyiv districts, including fires at a school and a business center that trapped people. A market worker who lost her job described the night as unprecedented in the war and said she would leave the city. Another resident recounted being thrown by a blast wave that destroyed his apartment. Ukraine’s National Art Museum suffered ceiling and window damage, though its collection remained intact. The culture minister condemned systematic attacks on civilian and cultural sites. The foreign ministry building was lightly damaged for the first time since World War II. Government headquarters also sustained broken windows without casualties. The barrage followed Russian accusations of a Ukrainian drone strike on a Luhansk dormitory that killed 21 and wounded 42. Ukraine denied involvement and said it hit a drone command unit. At a UN Security Council meeting, Ukraine’s ambassador dismissed Russian war-crime claims as propaganda. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attacks and the Oreshnik use as evidence of a military deadlock.
