Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire on the site of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey /AFP via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with the latest casualty figure.
Russia launched five ballistic missiles against Ukraine's capital on the morning of Dec. 20, highlighting the stark contrast between the approaching holiday season and the realities of war.
At least one person was killed, and 12 injured as first responders continue to deal with the consequences of the attack.
The Holosiivskyi district, south of the city center, was hit the hardest by the ballistic missile debris. Residential buildings, office buildings, and a hotel were damaged, with burning debris dropping on the streets and the roofs.
Damage to critical infrastructure left 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, 17 schools, and 13 kindergartens without heating amid December temperatures.
Non-residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts were also damaged by fallen debris. In the Pechersk district, a blast wave shattered precious stained glass windows of the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic church, the second-oldest Catholic church in Kyiv.
Civilians leave the site after a Russian ballistic missile hits the city center in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)A destroyed house after a Russian ballistic missile hit the city center in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)Ukrainian rescue services eliminate the consequences of a Russian ballistic missile hitting the city center in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)Hotel guests left the heavily damaged Holiday Inn after a missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)A Kyiv resident looks in the direction of an explosion in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)Shattered windows in Holiday Inn hotel after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)Papers and debris from an office building seen on the tree after Russian missile strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)Shopkeepers are cleaning a rug from glass shards after a missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)Flowers saved from the destruction after a missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)Stained glass windows of St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church were damaged by a blast wave during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Kyiv City Military Administration/Telegram)A resident of one of the buildings damaged after a missile strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire on the site of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey /AFP via Getty Images)Smoke rising over Maidan Nezalezhnosty after a missile strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 20, 2024. (Sasha Maslov / The Kyiv Independent)
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.Read more
