Russian hypersonic missile and drones hit Kyiv killing 4 people

Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv early on Friday (9 January) killed at least 4 people, injured at least 19, and caused significant damage to residential buildings and critical infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

The strikes began just before midnight (2200 GMT), Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram.

Ukrainian officials said that Russia launched 36 missiles and 242 drones during Friday's attack as well as one hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile from Kapustin Yar.

Russia has confirmed it used an Oreshnik missile which Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said is a "grave threat" to European security.

Sybiha said that Kyiv was informing the United States, European partners, and other countries about the details of the strike through diplomatic channels.

"(Russia President Vladimir) Putin uses an IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missile) near EU and NATO border in response to his own hallucinations — this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses," he said.

Russia’s overnight strike on Kyiv also damaged the premises of the Qatari embassy, according to Sybiha, an action widely condemned as a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

He described the attack as a reminder of Russia’s disregard for international norms and pledged to provide full assistance to Qatari diplomats.

Sybiha called on Gulf States to respond both diplomatically and publicly to the strike.

Injuries included emergency responders; one medic was killed while attending a strike on a suburban apartment, with four crew members wounded.

Two apartment buildings on the east bank of the Dnipro River were heavily damaged, including the destruction of one building entrance and severe damage to a high-rise in a central district.

The attacks disrupted water supplies in some areas and caused fires across multiple districts, with one drone hitting a shopping centre and another falling near a medical facility. Kyiv remained under an air alert for several hours.

Another Russian strike reportedly targeted an infrastructure site in western Ukraine’s Lviv region.

The attacks come amid intense fighting along multiple frontlines.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the strike was a response to an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences at the end of December.

Kyiv has called the Russian assertion that it tried to attack the residence, in Russia's Novgorod's region, "a lie."

Russia’s Defence Ministry recently claimed control of the Bratske settlement in Dnipropetrovsk region and said its forces were conducting operations across Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia, striking Ukrainian energy and port facilities, drone storage sites, and temporary troop deployment points.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described the Pokrovsk direction as the most critical sector of the frontlines, with around 50 engagements occurring daily.

He said Ukrainian forces maintained control over northern Pokrovsk despite Russian reinforcements attempting to advance.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is preparing a document on U.S. security guarantees, to be finalised at the highest level.

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Following peace talks in France, Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian negotiators also discussed recovery, economic development, and a framework to end the conflict with U.S. and European partners.

The U.S. side will engage with Russia, and Ukraine expects feedback.

Ukrainian negotiators previously met with national security advisors from several European countries and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Jared Kushner, to discuss pathways to ending the war and providing security guarantees for Ukraine.

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News Politics Ukraine Russia Russia Ukraine war Kyiv Fire Drone attack Pokrovsk hypersonic missile oreshnik missile