Ukraine war: Russia launches new barrage of hypersonic missiles

• At least nine people have been killed in a new wave of strikes across Ukraine.
• Russia used powerful weapons such as rare hypersonic missiles.
• The Ukrainian military claimed to have shot down 34 cruise missiles.

At least nine people have been killed in a new wave of strikes across Ukraine by Russia, which used powerful weapons such as rare hypersonic missiles.

Russia had not fired Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which can evade air defences, since the early months of the conflict, according to reports.

The most recent barrage was the most severe to strike Ukraine in weeks.

It cut power to Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia, though it was later restored.

On Thursday Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: “High-precision long-range air, sea and land-based weapons, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system, hit key elements of Ukraine’s military infrastructure.”

It was Russia‘s busiest day of strikes on Ukraine since the end of January.

The Ukrainian military claimed to have shot down 34 cruise missiles as well as four Iranian-made Shahed drones.

However, it stated that it was unable to intercept the six Kinzhal ballistic missiles, as well as destroy older weapons such as Kh-22 anti-ship missiles and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles.

“This was a major attack and for the first time with so many different types of missiles,” the Reuters news agency quoted a Ukrainian air force spokesperson as saying. “It was like never before.”

The strike at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to Energoatom, has severed the facility’s connection to the Ukrainian power grid.

The facility ran on diesel generators for the sixth time since Russia took over a year ago, until the link was restored later Thursday.

Electricity is required to cool radioactive material at the plant.

“Today’s loss of all external power once again demonstrated how fragile and dangerous the situation is for the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Following a series of strikes since the invasion began, he had earlier on Thursday called for an international commitment to protect the plant.

“Each time we are rolling a dice. And if we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out,” Mr Grossi said.

Emergency services responded to blast sites in Kyiv’s western and southern districts.

A missile also struck an energy facility in Odesa, causing power outages, according to the city’s governor, Maksym Marchenko. There were also reports of casualties in residential areas.

In other news, Ukraine’s military says it has repulsed intense Russian attacks on the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut, despite Russian forces claiming control of its eastern half.

Moscow has been attempting to take Bakhmut for months, despite heavy losses on both sides in a grinding war of attrition.

“The enemy continued its attacks and has shown no sign of a let-up in storming the city of Bakhmut,” the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said. “Our defenders repelled attacks on Bakhmut and on surrounding communities.”

According to reports, between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut since it began last summer. The figures cannot be independently verified.

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