Kyiv: UkraineThe capital Kiev was hit by a massive rocket and drone attack early Sunday, shortly after its air force warned that Russia might launch an Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.
Explosions echoed across the city shortly after 1 a.m. local time after the air force announced a threat of an Oreshnik launch on its Telegram channel.
At least three people were injured and several residential buildings were damaged across the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Debris was on fire in the premises of a school in the center of the city, he added on Telegram.
On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing an attack against Ukraine using the Oreshnik missile, citing intelligence from Ukraine, the US and Europe.
Ukraine’s air force did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether an Oreshnik missile hit any targets.
Russia has already attacked Ukraine twice with the Oreshnik, a missile that President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept due to its reported speed of more than 10 times the speed of sound.
Zelenskyy’s warning came after Putin ordered his military to prepare options for retaliation against Ukraine for a drone attack on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military said it had targeted a Russian drone commando unit.
