Russia Strikes Kyiv with Ballistic Missiles after Drone Attack on Putin’s Residence

Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions, calling it retaliation for an alleged drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Russia’s Novgorod region.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said the strikes followed what it described as a terrorist attack by Kyiv on the night of December 29, when 91 drones targeted the presidential residence. Moscow said all drones were intercepted by air defenses.

The ministry said Russian forces used long-range, high-precision land- and sea-based weapons, including the Oreshnik mobile medium- to intermediate-range ballistic missile system, alongside attack drones. It claimed the strikes hit UAV production facilities allegedly linked to the attack and energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, warning that further attacks on Russian leadership or critical facilities would trigger additional retaliation.

Ukrainian authorities reported a powerful combined strike across Kyiv and western Ukraine, including the Lviv region. Local media said the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske underground gas storage facility, the largest in Ukraine, was hit. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi confirmed damage to critical infrastructure, while regional deputies said gas supplies were largely disrupted.

In Kyiv, officials said three major thermal power plants were struck, triggering a citywide blackout. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed extensive infrastructure damage, with similar power outages reported in Kryvyi Rih. Water and electricity were disrupted across parts of the capital as temperatures fell and heavy snowfall set in.

At least four people were killed and 19 injured in Kyiv during the overnight Jan. 8–9 attack, according to city authorities. Klitschko said a paramedic was killed in a double-tap strike, while four paramedics were injured while assisting civilians in the Darnytskyi district. Fourteen of the wounded were hospitalized.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 242 drones along with ballistic and cruise missiles, adding that a Russian drone damaged the building of Qatar’s Embassy in Kyiv. He said energy and civilian infrastructure were targeted as a severe cold snap began, complicating efforts to restore heating and electricity.

Explosions were first reported around 11:45 p.m. local time as air defenses engaged incoming drones. Ukraine’s air force later warned of ballistic missile threats and reported Russian fighter jets taking off, followed by cruise missile strikes around 3:00 a.m.

Damage in Kyiv was concentrated on the city’s left bank, particularly in the Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Desnianskyi districts, with additional impacts reported in central Pechersk and Shevchenkivskyi districts. Residential buildings were damaged by drones and falling debris, fires broke out in multiple locations, and drone wreckage landed in courtyards and on a children’s playground. In Brovary, east of Kyiv, emergency workers rescued a family, including a five-year-old child, from under rubble.

Metro services were disrupted by power outages, delaying underground trains and suspending aboveground routes linking the city’s left and right banks.

Russia also said it fired an Oreshnik ballistic missile at Lviv overnight, describing the strike as retaliation for the alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence. Ukraine said the missile was launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar range and that its type would be confirmed after debris analysis.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the drone incident as terrorism and said it was intended to undermine diplomatic efforts related to the war. Russia said decrypted data from one downed drone was handed to U.S. military officials through embassy channels, claiming it showed the intended target was a facility within Putin’s residence. Kyiv has denied targeting the site.

Ukrainian officials said more than one million people in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast remained without water and heating as of the morning of Jan. 8, underscoring the mounting humanitarian impact as winter conditions intensify.