Key insights
- Russia launched a major missile and drone attack on Kyiv, escalating geopolitical tensions. While the direct impact on US equities is limited, the event contributes to global uncertainty and risk aversion, potentially leading to a minor negative influence on market sentiment.
Investing.com -- Russian forces launched a major overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv early Sunday, injuring at least three people and damaging residential buildings across the Ukrainian capital, local officials said.
Air raid alerts were issued shortly before the assault after Ukraine’s air force warned that Russia could deploy its Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, a weapon Moscow has previously promoted as difficult to intercept.
Explosions were reported across Kyiv shortly after 1:00 a.m. local time. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency crews were dispatched to several districts following reports of damage to homes and other civilian infrastructure.
Klitschko also said debris from the attack sparked a fire on the grounds of a school in central Kyiv.
The Ukrainian air force did not immediately say whether an Oreshnik missile had been used in the strike.
The attack came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said intelligence assessments from Ukraine and its Western partners indicated that Russia could be preparing another launch of the missile.
Russia first unveiled the Oreshnik missile during the war and has used it twice against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the weapon travels at speeds exceeding Mach 10.
The latest strike follows heightened tensions between the two sides after Putin instructed military commanders to prepare retaliatory measures in response to a recent Ukrainian drone operation in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region.
Ukrainian military officials said the operation targeted a Russian drone command center.
Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have faced repeated waves of drone and missile attacks throughout the war, with air defense units regularly deployed to counter incoming threats.
Sunday’s strike was among the latest attacks to hit the capital amid continuing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.