Blasts rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early this morning as Moscow launched its first ballistic missile strikes there in months.
Terrified residents hid in underground bunkers after the air force put the whole country under an air raid alert as Russia fired a series of missile attacks.
The onslaught was also bolstered by Kremlin kamikaze drones which led to a number of explosions.
Authorities said it was the first such combined missile-drone strike on the Ukrainian capital in 73 days.
But not only the capital was targeted.
Air raid warnings blared for hours as Russia hit eight regions of Ukraine, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.
Air defences downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said.
Casualties were still being assessed but a number of buildings were left ablaze.
In the past, such combined attacks aimed to overwhelm air defences and cause maximum damage.
A 48-year-old man suffered head injuries in the Brovary district of Kyiv, according to emergency services. Debris from the attack also caused warehouse fires, Kyiv Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said.
Energy firm Popko also announced daytime electricity supply restrictions for businesses and industry in Kyiv due to Russian shelling and deficit in power generation.
A spokesman for the Kyiv City Military Administration (KCMA) said: “The enemy reportedly used air-launched cruise missiles, ballistic missiles such as KN-23/KN-24/Iskander-M, and drones of the Shahed/Geran/Gerbera/Parodiya types for the attack.”
Serhii Popko, Chief of the KCMA, added: “The air raid siren in the capital was activated at 6.30am due to the threat of UAVs coming from the eastern direction.
“At that time, cruise missiles were already heading towards Kyiv region.
“As the missiles approached Kyiv, the enemy simultaneously launched a ballistic strike on the capital. The attack concluded with another wave of drones.”
The Russian airstrike on Kyiv lasted over two hours.
In response, Ukraine’s Defence Forces managed to shoot down several cruise and ballistic missiles as well as up to a dozen enemy drones.
Initial explosions were heard in Kyiv as air defence systems began intercepting the missiles and drones. It is not yet known how many got through.
But the salvos came as the United States and South Korea also confirmed that North Korean troops are now fighting alongside Russians on the frontline.
And at the front, Russia is continuing to redeploy more troops, intensifying its counterattack in the Kursk region.
Kyiv officials say Russia has deployed around 50,000 troops to Kursk in a bid to dislodge the Ukrainians.
Russia has in recent months been assembling forces for a counteroffensive in Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, though the timescale of the operation is not known.
But Ukraine claimed Moscow this week suffered two consecutive days of record losses, including nearly 2,000 casualties on Monday alone.
