The Ukrainian Air Force Command reported that Russia attacked the country early this morning with one Kinzhal hypersonic missile, six Iskander-M ballistic missiles, four Iskander-K cruise missiles, along with 539 Geran-2 suicide drones and decoy aircraft.

"The main target of the attack was the capital, Kyiv. Ukrainian air defense units shot down two Iskander-K missiles and 270 suicide drones, while 208 aircraft went off course due to electronic countermeasures," the agency said.

Series of explosions in Kyiv, Ukraine during the early morning attack. Video: Reuters

This statistic means that the Ukrainian military failed to intercept any of the seven Kinzhal and Iskander-M missiles, and also let through 63 drones and two Iskander-K cruise missiles. "Enemy weapons hit eight locations, and missile and aircraft debris also fell at 33 other sites," the Ukrainian Air Force Command said, but did not disclose specific information.

This is a rare instance where Kyiv has admitted to not shooting down Kinzhal and Iskander-M missiles during a Moscow attack.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the information.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described this as one of the largest Russian attacks on Ukraine to date. He called on all parties to "increase pressure, sanctions, and other measures against Russia's economy, revenue sources, and infrastructure."

Colonel Yuri Ignat, press secretary of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, confirmed that this was an attack of record scale. "This is the largest amount of weaponry the enemy has ever launched in a single attack since the beginning of the conflict," he said.

Smoke rises from an area in Kyiv, Ukraine, after the attack on the morning of 4/7. Photo: Reuters

Smoke rises from an area in Kyiv, Ukraine, after the attack on the morning of 4/7. Photo: Reuters

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said at least 23 people were injured and six of the 10 inner city districts suffered damage, adding that drone debris fell on a medical facility in the Holosiivsky district and caused a fire. Ukrainian Railways, the country's largest transportation company, announced that the attack damaged rail infrastructure in Kyiv, forcing some trains to be rerouted.

AMK Mapping, an account on X that tracks open-source intelligence data on the war, previously reported that Russian forces had deployed two Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 12 Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles, four Iskander-K cruise missiles, and an unspecified number of drones in the attack.

Satellite data on NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) today shows fires at Vasilkov military airport, located near the city of the same name in Kyiv province. This is a key Ukrainian air force base and is also believed to be one of the locations where the F-16 squadron is stationed.

Three large fires were also recorded at Zhuliany International Airport, the site of the Patriot battery protecting Kyiv, and a large industrial zone with numerous production facilities, warehouses, and businesses.

Location of Kyiv, Ukraine. Graphic: RYV

Location of Kyiv, Ukraine. Graphic: RYV

The attack comes after the White House announced the suspension of the transfer of certain weapons pledged to Ukraine due to depleted US military stockpiles.

US media, citing sources familiar with the situation, said these include the most modern PAC-3 MSE missiles for the Patriot air defense system, AIM-7 medium-range and AIM-9M short-range air-to-air missiles that can be used on ground launchers, FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air defense systems, and numerous weapons used on F-16 fighter jets.

Experts believe Ukraine is facing the risk of running out of missiles and being unable to counter Russian attacks after the US decided to halt aid. Meanwhile, Russia has recently continuously increased the number of missiles and drones in its attacks, aiming to disrupt and overload Ukrainian air defenses.

Nguyen Tien (According to Reuters, AFP, AP)