Russia launched a deadly ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early Friday, killing at least one person and injuring 12 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The assault marked an escalation in hostilities, with Moscow claiming the strikes were in retaliation for Ukraine's recent use of American-supplied missiles against Russian targets.
The pre-dawn barrage sent shockwaves through Ukraine's capital, damaging residential buildings, cultural landmarks, and diplomatic facilities. Kyiv's air force reported intercepting five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles, though falling debris caused extensive destruction. The Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, a UNESCO-listed landmark, sustained significant damage, with shattered stained glass windows and wrecked stairwells leading to its spires.
"We ask citizens to immediately respond to reports of ballistic attack threats, because there is very little time to find shelter," Ukraine's air force urged in a statement.
Russian officials claimed the strike was a direct response to Ukraine's attack earlier this week on Russia's Rostov region, using six American-made ATACMS missiles and four British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Ukraine reportedly targeted a Rostov oil refinery as part of its campaign to disrupt Russian infrastructure supporting the war effort.
The Kremlin has expressed growing outrage over Kyiv's use of Western weapons on Russian territory, accusing NATO allies of escalating the conflict. In response, Moscow deployed its newly developed hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik, for the first time. While President Vladimir Putin has suggested the missile could target Ukrainian government buildings, there have been no reports of its use beyond initial deployment.
Kyiv residents described the intensity of the Friday morning attack. Valeriia Dubova, a 32-year-old photographer, said she sheltered at home during the explosions, feeling the walls shake from the blasts. "With the naked eye you could see that many buildings, high-rises, were damaged, with glass shards on the ground, far from the explosion epicenter," she recounted.
Among the damaged sites was the Toronto Business Center, home to a prosthetics and rehabilitation center for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Andrey Stavnitser, the center's founder, shared the devastation on social media, noting the damage could have been catastrophic had the missile struck during peak hours.
The assault also impacted six diplomatic missions, including the Portuguese Embassy, prompting international condemnation. Paulo Rangel, Portugal's foreign minister, decried the attack as "absolutely unacceptable" and highlighted the risks to diplomatic personnel.
In addition to Kyiv, Russia targeted other Ukrainian cities, including Kherson and Kryvyi Rih. Artillery shelling in Kherson left around 60,000 residents without power, while six people, including a 15-year-old girl, were injured in missile strikes in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko condemned the strikes as acts of "genocide," underscoring the impact on civilians. "There is no justification for this. We need air defenses," Klitschko said while surveying the damage.
Despite the devastation, Ukrainian forces claimed to have thwarted several Russian attempts to gain ground, including an effort to cross the Dnipro River near Kherson. The ongoing clashes come as Putin reiterates his intentions to maintain control over annexed Ukrainian territories, including Crimea.
