Five Killed in Strike on Russia's Kursk Following Deadly Missile Attack on Kyiv

 

    Ukrainian officials reported that Moscow had launched a new assault on Kyiv.

Russia reported that a Ukrainian strike in the western Kursk region killed five people.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials stated that Moscow had launched a fresh missile attack on Kyiv, damaging a building housing multiple embassies.

In Russia, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, confirmed that nine others were hospitalized following the attack in the town of Rylsk.

Alexander Khinshtein noted that the strike, which occurred at 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Friday, caused damage to a cultural center, a fitness complex, a school, and several homes.

Russian officials initially reported six fatalities, including a child, in Rylsk, located about 25 km (16 miles) from the Ukrainian border. However, in an audio message on Telegram on Saturday morning, Alexander Khinshtein updated the toll to five fatalities, clarifying that no children were among those killed.

Ukrainian troops continue to hold parts of the Kursk region after launching a surprise cross-border offensive in early August.

Ukraine's foreign ministry confirmed that Russia's missile strike on Kyiv had affected the diplomatic missions of Albania, Argentina, North Macedonia, Palestine, Portugal, and Montenegro. It remains unclear if the building housing these missions was specifically targeted.

The strike on Kyiv resulted in at least one death and left nine others injured, according to Ukraine's military. The attack also caused significant damage to several buildings, though it is not believed that any embassy diplomats were harmed.

A verified video filmed in Kyiv's Pecherskyi District showed St. Nicholas Cathedral, the city's second-oldest Roman Catholic church, with its windows shattered from a nearby explosion.

Ukraine's military reported that Russia launched 65 drones and missiles across the country overnight, with most being shot down.

In Kyiv, a man whose restaurant suffered extensive damage in the attack was filmed condemning the Russians as "beasts" while standing in front of the charred remains of the building.

The video was widely shared on social media.

    Ukrainian police examine debris inside St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv.

Oksana, a resident, shared photos with the BBC showing her destroyed apartment, where windows were blown out and debris, including glass and brick, covered the floors.

"I don’t understand how I survived," she said. "My balcony is gone, half of my walls are missing. My neighbor is in such shock she can't even speak. I have no words for the people who did this."

A local journalist at the scene told the BBC that one of the nearby buildings had been used by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), and it was likely the target of the strikes. However, much of the visible damage appeared to have affected residential buildings.

The Russian defense ministry confirmed the attack, stating that missiles were launched at an SBU "command post" in retaliation for a strike on a chemical plant in Russia's Rostov Region two days prior.

There is also speculation in Kyiv that the attack could be linked to the killing of Russian Lt-Gen Igor Kirillov in Moscow on Tuesday.

The attack on Friday came just one day after Vladimir Putin's end-of-year press conference, during which he threatened to launch more ballistic missiles at Kyiv.

There are growing concerns in Ukraine that Russia could use the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile to target the Ukrainian capital. Moscow test-fired this missile earlier this month, targeting the central city of Dnipro.

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian authorities issued an air alert over the potential launch of an Oreshnik missile and urged people in Kyiv to seek shelter immediately. However, the alert turned out to be a false alarm.