Russia uses Oreshnik hypersonic missile in massive attack on Kiev, says Zelensky

Buildings on fire on Sunday (24) after Russian attack on Ukraine's capital, Kiev
Reuters /Thomas Peter
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Russia used the powerful Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile in a mass attack on Kiev, in a Telegram post this Sunday (24).
This is the third time that the missile, capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads, has been used. is used in Ukraine. Russia hit the town of Bila Tserkva in the Kiev region with the missile, Zelensky said. The target was not immediately clear.
Russia first used the Oreshnik, equipped with multiple warheads, against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. The missile was used a second time in January in the western region of Lviv.
President Vladimir Putin said the Oreshnik, which means "hazel" in Russian, travels at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10, and is capable of destroying bunkers underground "three, four or more floors below".
Kiev resident watches burning building after Russian attack on Sunday (24)
REUTERS/Stringer
The weapon travels "like a meteorite" and is immune to any anti-missile defense system, Putin said, adding that several of these missiles, even equipped with conventional warheads, could be as devastating as a nuclear attack.
Russia attacked Kiev with missiles and drones during the early hours of this morning Sunday in an intense offensive that shook buildings across the central region of the Ukrainian capital, including areas close to government buildings, residential buildings and schools.
Resident holds dog in front of building destroyed after Russian attack on Kiev on Sunday (24)
REUTERS/Thomas Peter
The combined attack included 600 attack drones and 90 missiles launched from the air, sea and land, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed or neutralized 549 drones and 55 missiles. Some 19 missiles missed their targets, the Air Force said.
A medium-range ballistic missile was launched from Kasputin Yar in Russia's Astrakhan region, the usual launch site for the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia planned to use the missile, citing intelligence information from the United States and Western partners.
The Force The air force has not confirmed the use of the Oreshnik, but previously warned of a possible launch of the missile.
At least two people died and 56 were injured, local authorities said, citing preliminary figures. Air raid sirens sounded throughout the night as smoke billowed across the city following the attacks.
Associated Press reporters heard loud explosions near the city center and government buildings.
The attack continued into dawn on Sunday, with more missiles and drones expected to arrive in Kiev.
Damage was reported at 40 locations in several districts of the capital, including residential buildings, the head of Kiev's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said in a statement. a post on Telegram.
"It was a terrible night, and there has never been anything like it in the entire war," said Kiev resident Svitlana Onofryichuk, 55, who has worked in the stricken market for 22 years.
"I'm very sorry to have to say goodbye to Kiev now, I'm not going to stay there anymore, there's no possibility," she added. "My work is over, everything is over, everything has burned down."
Yevhen Zosin, 74, a Kiev resident who witnessed the attack, said that the moment he heard the explosion he ran to get his dog.
"Then there was another explosion and she and I were thrown back like a pin by the shock wave. We both survived, she and I. My apartment was destroyed," he said.
In Kiev's Shevchenko district, a residential building five-story building was hit, causing a fire, and one person died, Ukraine's state emergency service said.
A school building was damaged in an attack while people were sheltering there, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Local authorities reported that supermarkets and warehouses across the city were also damaged.
Several communities reported damage across the Kiev region, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, regional governor.

Source: G1