Russia has fired eight ballistic missiles on Kyiv a day after Vladimir Putin claimed his troops were winning on the battlefield and that his maximalist goals to seize more territory in Ukraine were unchanged.
Several explosions were reported in Kyiv at around 7am on Friday. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down eight Kinzhal and Iskander-M missiles, with debris falling in several districts of the city. One person was killed and at least 12 were injured.
Residents woke to the sound of loud booms and air raid sirens. One intercepted missile fell on the Toronto business centre, smashing its top storey and setting fire to cars parked in the street below. A mangled vehicle was tossed over a fence.
The complex was home to Superhumans, a prosthetics and rehabilitation centre for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Its founder, Andrey Stavnitser, said his office was devastated. “It’s scary to think what would have happened if our glass room had been blown a couple of hours later,” he posted.
The same blast broke stained glass windows in the St Nicholas Roman Catholic church opposite. The church’s facade, rose window and external and internal glazing were damaged. Stairwells leading to its gothic spires, built early in the 20th century, were wrecked.
The Unesco-listed building is the second oldest church in the capital. Windows in the national house of music next door were shattered. Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, at least 1,222 cultural heritage sites have been broken or destroyed, Ukrainian officials said.
The attack caused minor damage to diplomatic buildings, including the Portuguese embassy. The missions of Albania and Montenegro are in the same block.
Paulo Rangel, the Portuguese foreign minister, said: “This was a very intense attack by the Russian Federation. It is absolutely unacceptable for attacks to damage or target diplomatic facilities.”
Touring the devastation on Friday, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, accused Russia of “genocide” and said: “There is no justification for this.” He said the latest strike showed Putin’s complete indifference to the deaths of women and children. “We need air defences.”
Remains from another missile crashed into the Holosiivskyi district, where one person was killed. Six people were admitted to hospital and rescuers spent the morning putting out fires and clearing up rubble. The attack left 630 buildings without heating and power.
Yuliia Kuznets, of the law firm VB Partners, said: “The morning in Kyiv was truly devastating. The missiles were frighteningly close to our office. The offices of our clients sustained significant damage. Thank goodness it was early morning and not many people were injured.”
Since its all-out attack began, Russia has regularly launched missiles at Ukrainian towns and cities. In recent months it has systematically targeted the power infrastructure in an attempt to demoralise the population and leave it freezing during the winter months.
Friday’s attack featured Khinzal missiles launched by Russian fighter jets, as well as Iskander-Ms fired from ground platforms. North Korean KN-23 missiles – sent by Pyongyang to Moscow earlier this year – may have been deployed as well, Ukraine’s air force said.
Speaking on Thursday at an end-of-year press conference, Putin claimed the war had made Russia “much stronger”. He said he was ready to meet the incoming US president, Donald Trump, to discuss peace proposals. But he repeated his stance that Moscow would keep control of Crimea, plus four Ukrainian regions “annexed” in 2022.
Russia carried out a separate barrage on the southern city of Kherson on Friday. One person was killed and nine others injured during bombardment by heavy artillery and rockets at 8am. Ukraine’s armed forces said they had foiled an attempt by Russian troops to cross the Dnipro River near the city’s ruined Antonivskyi Bridge.
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