KYIV -- Russia fired its newest hypersonic missile at a Kyiv region town, along with hundreds of drones and other missiles, in one of the biggest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent memory. At least two people were reported killed and the death toll was expected to climb.
Firefighters struggled to douse flames at buildings in multiple parts of the capital on May 24, and rescuers dug through the rubble of apartment buildings looking for survivors.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said more than 44 people were wounded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used its newest hypersonic missile -- the Oreshnik -- to hit Bila Tserkva, a town about 80 kilometers south of Kyiv. Overall, the assault included nearly 700 drones.
It's the third time that Russia has used the Oreshnik against Ukrainian targets -- and the first time it's been fired at the Kyiv region.
The assault followed warnings by Zelenskyy -- and unusually, by the US Embassy in Kyiv -- saying a massive attack was possible, including possible use of an Oreshnik, and urging people to take shelter.
The specificity of the warnings suggested Western intelligence had detected preparations for the missile ahead of time.
The attack came two days after an unusually bellicose speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which had echoes of the rhetoric he used in the immediate run-up to the February 2022 invasion.
In the televised speech, Putin vowed retaliation for an attack on a university dormitory in a Russian-occupied part of eastern Ukraine, which killed 16 people. Russian officials alleged Ukraine hit the dormitory deliberately and said it was not used for military purposes.
“The reasons behind the behavior of the Kyiv regime are obvious," Putin said. "These are constant failures on the front line, the loss of positions, towns, and territories. The situation for the Ukrainian military is gradually turning from difficult and critical, into catastrophic."
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have fought Russian troops to a standstill. In some places, military observers say, Ukraine has regained some territory, underscoring Russia’s struggles to achieve some of the initial war goals laid out by Putin.
