Schools and residential buildings were hit when Russia bombed the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with missiles and drones; 1 dead

Russia launched an overnight missile and drone attack on Kiev early Sunday, hitting residential areas, a school and commercial buildings across the Ukrainian capital, days after Moscow vowed revenge for Ukrainian attacks in Russian-occupied territory that it said killed 18 people.

The bombing injured at least 10 people, sparked fires in several areas and forced residents to take refuge in underground shelters, while sirens rang throughout the city for hours.The attack, which Ukrainian authorities described as an “all-out ballistic missile attack,” continued into Sunday morning, with officials warning that more missiles and drones were still approaching the capital.

“The capital was subjected to a large-scale ballistic missile attack,” Timur Tkachenko, head of the military administration of the city of Kiev, wrote on the Telegram app.

“There are currently reports that at least 4 locations were affected by the attack: Shevchenkivsky, Dneprovsky and Podilsky districts. Fires and damage to residential buildings were initially reported.”“The drone attack continues, and the ballistic missile threat remains. Stay in shelters!” He added.Powerful explosions were heard in central Kiev overnight, including near government offices, according to Associated Press journalists on the ground.

Buildings shook from the impact of the strikes, while thick smoke rose in parts of the city.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a school building in the Shevchenkivsky district was damaged while civilians were taking shelter inside. “A school was bombed… in the Shevchenkivsky district,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram, adding that a fire had broken out.Emergency teams were also sent to Kiev’s Podilsky district after debris fell in a non-residential area, while fires broke out near residential buildings in the Shevchenkivsky district, damaging windows and surrounding buildings.Authorities said damage was reported in at least nine areas of the capital, with supermarkets, warehouses and residential complexes hit. Regional Governor Mykola Kalashnik said multiple communities in the wider Kyiv region had suffered damage.The strikes came after Russia warned of retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Moscow had previously accused Kiev of carrying out attacks on a university residence that reportedly killed 18 people.

Before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia might launch a major airstrike using the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, citing intelligence shared between the United States and its Western allies. The Ukrainian Air Force later issued a warning about the possible launch of the Oreshnik missile, although it was not immediately clear whether the missile was used in Sunday’s attack.Russia first deployed the Oreshnik missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024 and used it again in the western Lviv region earlier this year.Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the nuclear-capable missile moves at Mach 10 and can penetrate underground bunkers several floors deep. Describing the weapon as moving “like a meteor,” Putin also stressed that the missile is immune to existing air defense systems and that multiple conventional strikes using the weapon could rival the devastation caused by a nuclear attack.