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The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Sunday that Russia used a powerful Oreshnik ballistic missile during a drone and missile attack in Kyiv on Sunday that killed at least two people, and it is the third time this weapon has been used in the four-year war.
Heavy airstrikes have destroyed buildings across Ukraine, including government offices, residential buildings and schools.
The Oreshnik, capable of carrying nuclear or conventional weapons, attacked the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. The target was not yet clear.
Russia first used the multi-warhead Oreshnik in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. It was used for the second time in January in the western region of Lviv.
The combined attack includes 600 drones and 90 air, sea and ground missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed and intercepted 549 drones and 55 missiles. About 19 missiles failed to reach their target, the Air Force said.
Earlier, Zelenskyy warned that Russia plans to use Oreshnik, citing intelligence from the US and Western allies.
President Vladimir Putin said the Oreshnik, which means “hazelnut tree” in Russian, travels 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10, and is capable of destroying bunkers “three, four or more down.”
The weapon travels “like a meteorite” and is not immune to any missile defense system, Putin said, adding that several such missiles, even armed with conventional weapons, could be as dangerous as a nuclear strike.
A siren sounded at night as smoke billowed across the city due to the strikes. Associated Press reporters heard a powerful explosion near the city center near government buildings.
The attack continued early Sunday morning, and more missiles and drones are expected to land in Kyiv.
Damage was recorded in 40 places in several districts of the capital, including residential buildings, Kyiv military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said in a Telegram post.
“It was a terrible night, and there had never been anything like this in the whole war,” said Kyiv resident Svitlana Onofryichuk, 55, who has worked at the injured market for 22 years.
“I am very sorry that I have to say goodbye to Kyiv now, I don’t live there anymore, nothing is happening,” he added.
“My work is gone, everything is burnt, everything is burnt.”
Yevhen Zosin, 74, a resident of Kyiv who witnessed the attack, said that when he heard the explosion he rushed to catch his dog.
“Then there was another explosion, he and I were thrown backwards like a pin due to the shock wave. We both survived, he and I. My apartment was blown to pieces,” he said.
In the Kyiv village of Shevchenko, a five-story building was hit, causing a fire, and one person died, Ukrainian emergency services said.
The school building was damaged by the attack while people took shelter inside, said Mayor Vitalii Klitschko. Local authorities reported that supermarkets and warehouses across the city were also damaged.
Many communities recorded damage across Kyiv region, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, the region’s governor.
