Fatalities in Russia’s Kursk Region Following Ukrainian Strike Amidst Major Missile Attack on Kyiv

According to Russia, a Ukrainian strike in the western Kursk region resulted in the deaths of five individuals. Previously, Ukrainian officials stated that Moscow initiated a new missile assault on Kyiv, causing damage to a structure housing multiple embassies. Within Russia, the acting governor of the Kursk region reported that, besides the fatalities, nine people were hospitalized after the assault on the town of Rylsk. Alexander Khinshtein specified that a cultural centre, a fitness complex, a school, and residential properties sustained damage in the strike, which occurred on Friday at 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT). Earlier, Russian officials had indicated six deaths, including one child, in Rylsk, situated approximately 25km (16 miles) from the Ukrainian border. However, Khinshtein provided an updated count in an audio message via Telegram on Saturday morning, stating five fatalities. He affirmed, “There were no children among those [killed].” Ukrainian forces maintain control over sections of the Kursk region, having initiated an unexpected cross-border offensive in early August. Ukraine’s foreign ministry communicated that Russia’s attack on Kyiv impacted the diplomatic missions representing Albania, Argentina, North Macedonia, Palestine, Portugal, and Montenegro. It remains uncertain if the building accommodating these missions was a direct target in the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine’s military stated that the strike, which damaged several city buildings, resulted in at least one death and nine injuries. No embassy diplomats are believed to have been harmed. A verified video recorded in the Pecherskyi District depicted St Nicholas Cathedral, Kyiv’s second oldest Roman Catholic church, with shattered windows after an adjacent explosion. Ukraine’s military reported that Russia deployed 65 drones and missiles nationwide overnight, with the majority intercepted. A man in Kyiv, identifying himself as the proprietor of a restaurant severely damaged by the attack, was filmed denouncing the Russians as “beasts” while observing the burnt remains of a structure before him. This video gained significant traction on social media platforms. Oksana, another local resident, provided the BBC with images of her ruined apartment, showing blown-in windows and debris of glass and brickwork scattered across the floors. She remarked, “I don’t understand how I survived.” She added, “My balcony flew away, half my walls are gone. My neighbour is in such shock she can’t even speak. I have no words for the people who did this.” A journalist present at the location informed the BBC that a nearby building, reportedly utilized by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), was probably the intended target of the strikes, despite a significant portion of the damage observed by the BBC impacting residential structures. The Russian defence ministry, in a statement acknowledging the assault, declared that missiles were directed at an SBU “command post” as retaliation for an attack on a chemical plant in Russia’s Rostov Region two days prior. Nevertheless, speculation in Kyiv suggests that the Friday attack might be connected to the assassination of Russian general Lt-Gen Igor Kirillov in Moscow on Tuesday. The Friday attack occurred a day after Vladimir Putin’s end-of-year press conference and phone-in event, during which he issued a threat to deploy additional ballistic missiles against the Ukrainian capital. In Ukraine, there is apprehension that Russia might employ a so-called Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile to strike Kyiv. Moscow conducted a test-firing of this missile on the central city of Dnipro earlier this month. Earlier on Friday morning, Ukrainian authorities issued an air alert concerning the potential launch of an Oreshnik missile, advising Kyiv residents to immediately seek shelter. This alert was subsequently determined to be a false alarm.