Extract from ABC News
A residential building is seen damaged after a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday. (AP: Efrem Lukatsky)
In short:
At least four people are dead after Russia carried out a"massive" night-time attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Russia says the attack was a retaliation to what Moscow has said was a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence last month.
Ukraine has denied it was behind that attack.
A "massive" Russian night-time attack on Ukraine damaged 20 residential buildings in Kyiv and its suburbs, as well as Qatar's embassy, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Russia hit Ukraine as temperatures plunged to freezing with its latest barrage of missiles — including the hypersonic Oreshnik — as Moscow rejected Western proposals to end its almost four-year invasion.
Kyiv was the worst hit in the strikes, Ukraine said, with four people killed and at least 25 wounded, while up to half of the city's apartment buildings have been left without heating.
Rescue workers put out a fire at a residential building in Kyiv. (AP: Efrem Lukatsky)
"Twenty residential buildings alone were damaged," Mr Zelenskyy said, adding that "a building of the Embassy of Qatar was damaged last night by a Russian drone".
"Qatar, a state that does so much to mediate with Russia in order to secure the release of prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian prisons," he said.
Mr Zelenskyy said Russia attacked with 13 ballistic missiles, including the Oreshnik, and 22 cruise missiles, while also launching 242 drones on Ukraine.
Russia's defence ministry said the strikes on energy facilities and drone manufacturing sites were in response to a December 29 drone attack on a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine has called the Russian allegation that its drones tried to attack one of Mr Putin's residences "an absurd lie" designed to sabotage already troubled peace talks.
US President Donald Trump has said he does not believe the strike on the residence happened, but that "something" unrelated happened fairly nearby.
Qatar said that none of its staff were injured in the attack.
"The State of Qatar expresses its deep regret over the damage sustained by its embassy building in Ukraine as a result of the strikes on the capital, Kyiv, last night. It also confirms that none of its diplomats or embassy staff were harmed," the foreign ministry said in a statement shared on X.
Second time Oreshnik used
Russian military bloggers said the Oreshnik missile was used to hit a major gas depot in the Lviv region in western Ukraine and released video purportedly showing the moment the Oreshnik struck its target.
Filmed across a snow-covered landscape, what looked like six flashes were seen striking the ground followed by a loud bang and a series of detonations.
Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video.
It is the second time that Russia has used the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile which President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound.
The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, although there was no suggestion that the one used in the overnight attack had been fitted with them.
The Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force later said the missile travelled at a speed of 13,000 kilometres per hour.
Lviv is about 60km from the Polish border.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said the missile strike close to the European Union and NATO border is a "grave threat" to European security.
Mr Sybiha has called on partners to increase pressure on Moscow.
Russia used an Oreshnik to strike the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine in late 2024.
On that occasion, Ukrainian sources said the missile was carrying dummy warheads, not explosives, and caused limited damage.
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