CNN quoted information from the Kiev City Military Agency as saying that at least one person was killed and 12 others were injured in the attack on the morning of December 20 local time, of which five people were hospitalized and the rest were treated at the scene.
The attack came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged Ukraine to a “duel” at his year-end press conference on December 19.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force Command, Russia fired five ballistic missiles at Kiev at around 7 a.m. on December 20. Ukraine said all of the missiles were shot down by air defense forces. However, debris from the interceptions caused damage and casualties in the city center.
In one district, an office building, road surface and gas pipeline were damaged, and five cars caught fire, according to Serhiy Popko, head of the Kiev City Military Department. In another area, a fire broke out at a construction site.
Several international embassies housed in the same building were damaged in the attack, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. The embassies affected included Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro.
Portugal confirmed that its facilities suffered minor damage and summoned Russian representatives to protest.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had deployed long-range missiles against Ukrainian military targets in response to an earlier attack on a chemical plant in Russia’s Rostov region, which was reportedly carried out using US-supplied ATACMS missiles.
According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, the targets included the headquarters of the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine), the Kiev Luch design plant - which produces the Neptune and Olkha missile systems - and the locations of the Patriot air defense system. "All targets were hit," the statement said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for more sanctions against Russia following the attack. He also thanked international partners for their readiness to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems.
In another development, the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine was also attacked by Russian artillery. According to the Kherson regional military administration, these attacks left 2 people dead and 10 others injured.
