Russia launched a missile strike on Kyiv early Friday. The attack, which left one person dead and several injured, came as retaliation for Ukraine’s recent strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons.
Key Details of the Attack
The assault occurred during the early hours of Friday. Residents, startled by the attack, reported hearing at least three loud explosions, according to the Associated Press. Subsequently, Ukraine’s air force intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles.
However, the damage had already been done. The strikes disabled heating systems in 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and kindergartens. Additionally, debris from the attack landed in central Kyiv, damaging high-rise buildings and the Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, a historic city landmark.
On the morning of 20 Dec, 🇷🇺 launched a combined missile attack on Kyiv, damaging office buildings, cars and other civilian infrastructure.
Over 600 buildings are without heat, including hospitals and kindergartens.
At least 1 person was killed and 9 injured.#standwithukraine pic.twitter.com/1us9gYsQke
— UKR Embassy to Ireland (@UKRinIRL) December 20, 2024
In response, Ukraine’s Air Force issued a warning. “We ask citizens to immediately respond to reports of ballistic attack threats because there is very little time to find shelter,” they stated.
Reason Behind the Strike
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the strike was a direct response to Ukraine’s missile attack on its Rostov border region two days earlier. Notably, Ukraine used six American ATACMS missiles and four UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles during that attack. These missiles targeted an oil refinery in Rostov, which Ukraine claims is part of its broader strategy to disrupt Russian infrastructure supporting the war effort.
Damage to Diplomatic Missions
Furthermore, the missile strikes damaged six diplomatic missions in Kyiv. These included embassies from Albania, Argentina, North Macedonia, Palestine, Portugal, and Montenegro.
In light of this, Portugal condemned the attack strongly. Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel stated, “There was a very intense attack by the Russian Federation on the city of Kyiv, and one of the explosions caused relatively light material damage to the diplomatic facilities of several countries, including the chancery of the Portuguese embassy.” Consequently, Portugal summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires to express its protest.
Civilian Impact and Ongoing War
Since the war began nearly three years ago, Russia has repeatedly targeted civilian areas. These attacks often disrupt critical services like power and heating. Moreover, they aim to weaken Ukraine’s infrastructure and intimidate its citizens. Thus, the latest strike serves as yet another attempt to shake Ukraine’s resolve.
