Russia launches heavy missile strikes on Kyiv after Ukraine drone attack

Key Points:

• Kyiv was struck by a large ballistic missile attack early Sunday, wounding at least five people and causing damage to residential buildings across multiple districts, following Russia's threat of retaliation for Ukrainian strikes in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine.
• The missile attack came after Ukraine launched a significant drone barrage on a Russian-occupied college dormitory in Starobilsk, killing at least 18 people and injuring 42, which Ukraine says targeted a Russian drone unit and denies civilian targeting.
• Ukrainian officials, including President Zelenskyy, and the U.S. Embassy had warned of an imminent major Russian airstrike on Kyiv, with concerns about the use of advanced weaponry such as Russia’s nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, Oreshnik.
• The United Nations condemned attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure but noted it could not verify details due to limited access to the conflict zones, while Moscow continues to deny targeting civilians despite frequent missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.
• The conflict shows no sign of abating, with Kyiv expanding drone strikes into Russian-held territories and Moscow maintaining daily missile barrages, while international diplomatic efforts to end the war have slowed amid shifting global priorities.