Russia fires hypersonic missile at Ukraine

Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine near the EU border overnight, in what Kyiv called a new threat to European security that demanded a global response.

Moscow said it had fired the Oreshnik missile in response to what it has described as an attempted drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences last month, which Ukraine has denied and the United States has said did not happen.

It was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine, and came amid a night of air attacks that Ukrainian authorities said also killed four people in Kyiv, knocked out power in the capital and damaged the Qatari embassy there.

The Oreshnik, designed to project power across Europe and which Moscow says is impossible to intercept, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads although there was no suggestion it had done so.

“A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to,” President Zelensky said on social media.

Russia fired a total of 242 drones and 36 missiles, including Oreshnik, to hit infrastructure in the western Lviv region and in and around the capital Kyiv, reports Reuters.

Authorities said at least four people were killed and more than 20 injured by the strikes on Kyiv, which knocked out electricity to more than half a million homes in the capital. Water and heat were cut off, with temperatures around -10 degrees Celsius (14°F) and heavy snow.

Kyiv’s mayor called on residents to leave the city temporarily to find warmth, reports AFP. 

There was no immediate word from Qatar about reports of damage to the building housing its embassy in Kyiv.