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Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale attack overnight, Ukrainian authorities reported on Friday, leaving at least four dead in Kyiv, the capital.
For the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv's NATO allies.
The intense bombardment and the launch of the Oreshnik missile—which can carry nuclear weapons—came days after Ukraine and its allies reported significant progress toward a pact on the country's defense against potential new aggression from Moscow if a peace agreement led by the United States is reached.
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European leaders condemned the attack as "an unacceptable act that escalates the conflict," and the European Union's top foreign policy envoy emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to diplomacy was "more missiles and destruction."
The attack also coincides with a new cooling in relations between Moscow and Washington following Russia's condemnation of the United States' seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. It also occurred after U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a strong package of sanctions intended to economically paralyze Russia, which has shown no public sign of being willing to yield on its demands regarding Ukraine.
Apartment buildings in Kyiv are left without heating
According to Ukrainian authorities, four people died and at least 25 were injured in Kyiv during a nighttime attack that hit residential buildings.
Among the dead was a paramedic, said the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko. Four doctors and a police officer were injured while responding to the attacks, authorities explained.
Approximately half of the apartment buildings in snowy Kyiv—nearly 6,000—were left without heating amid daytime temperatures of around minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit), explained Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Water supply was also interrupted.
Municipal services restored electricity and heating to public facilities, including hospitals and maternity wards, using portable boiler units, he detailed.
The Russian operation caused damage to the Qatari embassy in Kyiv, Zelenskyy noted on Friday, adding that the emirate has played a key role in mediating the exchange of prisoners of war.
Zelenskyy called for a "clear response" from the international community, especially from the United States, which he says Russia takes seriously.
Moscú dice que fue respuesta a ataque
The Security Service of Ukraine identified remnants of the Oreshnik missile in the Lviv region in the west of the country. It was launched from the Kapustin Yar test range in Russia, near the Caspian Sea in southwestern Russia, and targeted civilian infrastructure, according to investigators.
The Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that the attack was retaliation for what it claims was a Ukrainian drone operation against a Putin residence last month. Ukraine and Trump have rejected the Russian claim about the attack on Putin's residence.
The Kremlin did not specify where the Oreshnik struck, but the Russian press and military bloggers suggested it targeted a huge underground natural gas storage facility in the Lviv region. It is believed that foreign military aid for Ukraine passes through that region, which borders Poland.
Putin had stated that the Oreshnik heads to its targets at Mach 10, "like a meteorite," and that it is immune to any missile defense system. According to the leader, using several in a conventional operation could be as devastating as launching a nuclear attack, and he warned the West that Russia could use the Oreshnik against Kyiv's allies who facilitate attacks on Russian territory with their longer-range missiles.
Ukrainian intelligence maintains that the missile has six warheads, each with six submunitions.
Russia first tested the Oreshnik in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. According to analysts, it offers the Kremlin a new element of psychological warfare, unsettling Ukrainians and frightening the Western countries that supply weaponry to Ukraine.
Ukraine seeks international support
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Kyiv will initiate international measures in response to the use of the missile, including an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council and another of the Ukraine-NATO Council.
"An attack so close to the EU and NATO border is a serious threat to security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russia's reckless actions," he stated in a post on X.
For his part, Pope Leo XIV, speaking at the Vatican, urged the international community to continue pressing for peace and to end the suffering in Ukraine.
"Faced with this tragic situation, the Holy See firmly reiterates the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and for dialogue motivated by a sincere search for paths toward peace," the pontiff told ambassadors to the Vatican from around the world.
The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany said they discussed the attack and considered it "unacceptable."
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, affirmed that the launch of the Oreshnik was "a warning to Europe and to the United States."
"Putin does not want peace; Russia's response to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction," Kallas wrote on social media.
Attacks in Kyiv impact residential buildings
In Kyiv, several districts were affected by the attack, Tkachenko added. In the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-story building. In another part of the same neighborhood, the first two floors of a residential building were damaged.
In the Dnipro district, parts of a drone caused damage to a high-rise building where a fire broke out.
Dmytro Karpenko's windows were broken during the Russian operation in Kyiv. When he saw his neighbor's house was on fire, he ran out to help him.
"What Russia is doing, of course, shows that it does not want peace. But people really want peace; people are suffering, they are dying," said the 45-year-old man.
[Publicidad]