"The capital Kyiv has been hit by a large-scale ballistic missile attack. Preliminary information indicates that at least four locations were affected, including the Shevchenkovsky, Dniprovsky, and Podilsky districts. Initial reports indicate fires and damage to apartment buildings," Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military agency, said today.
Olena Mukhina, a Euromaidan Press correspondent in Kyiv, said Russia launched an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile carrying a hypersonic warhead targeting the nearby city of Bila Tserkva in Kyiv province. "Residents heard a very loud and unusual noise, followed by a series of smaller explosions," she said.
Video recorded by Kyiv residents shows a series of streaks of light, believed to be warheads from Oreshnik missiles, repeatedly plunging into the city. Two small dots of light also flew into the sky, seemingly fired by Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles.
AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in monitoring open-source intelligence data on warfare, assesses that Ukraine is experiencing a fierce offensive, in which Russia used at least two Oreshnik missiles to strike targets in the capital Kyiv and the city of Bila Tserkva.
"In addition, Russia launched at least 20 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 6 Kalibr cruise missiles, 4 Zircon hypersonic missiles, and no fewer than 12 Kh-101 missiles targeting Kyiv. More missiles are striking targets in the Khmelnytsky, Zhytomyr, and Kirovograd provinces. Hundreds of Geran-2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are targeting locations throughout Ukraine," the account stated.
An AFP reporter heard multiple loud explosions in Kyiv. An apartment building near government offices shook from nearby blasts, while dozens of people took shelter in a subway station in central Kyiv. Authorities urged residents to seek refuge.
"The drone attacks are still ongoing; the ballistic missile threat remains. Stay in your shelter," Tkachenko added.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said medical teams had been dispatched to the Podilsky district in the northwest of the city, where debris fell in a "non-residential" area. He also said a fire had broken out near an apartment building in the neighboring Shevchenkovsky district, damaging several windows.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on May 23 of the risk of a major Russian airstrike using Oreshnik missiles.
The attack occurred after President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to retaliate for Ukraine's attack on a vocational college in the town of Starobelsk in the Lugansk province, which killed 21 people and injured dozens.
"There were no military bases, special forces, or related units nearby. This was not an unintentional attack. The raid took place in three waves, with 16 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting the same location," President Putin said.
Starobelsk is located about 65 km from the front lines. Russian forces took control of the town in 2022, shortly after launching a special operation in Ukraine. "This is a horrific crime. An attack on an educational institution, where there are children and young people," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The Ukrainian General Staff rejected Russia's accusations, stating that it had attacked "a Rubikon command post" near the town of Starobelsk, referring to the elite drone unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nga-phong-loat-ten-lua-oreshnik-iskander-m-nham-vao-kiev-post311173.html
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