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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russia launched a series of missile attacks against Kyiv on the morning of Dec. 20, reportedly killing one person, injuring 11, and causing damage across the city.
Multiple explosions were reported in Kyiv around 7 a.m. local time, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that air defenses were operating over the city.
Russia attacked the capital with five ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 model, the Air Force said. All five missiles were reportedly shot down, with debris falling in several districts of the city.
One person was killed and 10 injured in the Holosiivskyi district, and one was injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district, the State Emergency Service reported. At least six people have been hospitalized.
In the Holosiivskyi district, the missile wreckage damaged office buildings, residential buildings, a gas pipe, and five cars. A fire broke out on the roof of one of the office buildings, and the 15th floor was damaged, possibly trapping people inside, authorities said.
Sixteen medical institutions, 17 schools, 13 kindergartens, and 630 residential buildings in the district were left without heating as a result of damaged infrastructure.
Fires were also reported at non-residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kyiv. Initial reports about damage in the Dnipro district have not been confirmed.
A blast wave damaged the stained glass windows of the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Pechersk district, the Ukraine International Institute of Restoration said. Footage shared by journalist Yan Dobronosov shows damage at an office building across the street.
A large-scale fire also broke out in a warehouse in the Boryspil district of Kyiv Oblast, covering 15,000 square meters, the State Emergency Service reported. The fire had been contained as of 4:05 a.m. local time.
In recent months, Russia has continued to intensify its drone and missile attacks targeting different regions of Ukraine.
On Dec. 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to "experiment" on Western air defenses by launching an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Western allies to provide more air defenses to the embattled country. On Dec. 18, during a visit to Brussels, Zelensky called for allies to provide an additional 19 air defense systems to protect against Russian strikes on critical infrastructure.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
