At least one person was killed and nine others were injured in a Russian ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev early Friday, officials said. Moscow claimed it was in response to a Ukrainian attack on Russian soil using American-made weapons.
At least three loud explosions were heard in Kiev shortly before sunrise. Ukraine’s Air Force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city. The city administration said the attack caused heating to be cut off in 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities and 30 schools and kindergartens, and that falling missile debris caused damage and fires in three districts.
“We ask civilians to respond immediately to reports of ballistic attack threats, as there is very little time to find shelter,” the Air Force said.
Russia has regularly bombed civilian areas of Ukraine during the nearly three years since the war began, often in an effort to paralyze the power grid and demoralize Ukrainians. Ukraine, meanwhile, struggling to stop Russia’s massive military advance on the front lines, has attempted to attack Russian infrastructure supporting the country’s war effort.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack was in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia’s Rostov border region two days earlier. It said the attack used six US-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched missiles provided by the United Kingdom.
That day, Ukraine claimed to have targeted the Rostov oil refinery as part of its campaign to attack Russian infrastructure supporting the country’s war effort.
The use of weapons provided by Western countries to attack Russia has angered the Kremlin. Ukraine fired several US-supplied long-range missiles at Russia for the first time on November 19 after Washington eased sanctions on their use.
That development led Russia to use a new hypersonic missile called Orashnik for the first time. President Vladimir Putin suggested the missile could be used to target government buildings in Kiev, although there are no reports of the Oreshnik being used a second time.
Responding to the Ukrainian attack on Rostov on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said it carried out a group attack with “high-precision, long-range weapons” on the command center of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and another location, where it said That Ukraine has Neptune missile systems. Designed and manufactured.
Ukrainian ground-based cruise missile systems and US-made Patriot air defense systems were also targeted in the strikes, the Defense Ministry said.
“The objective of the attack has been achieved. All objects were hit,” the Defense Ministry said in a Telegram post.
Its claims could not be immediately confirmed.