Kyiv: An intense Russian air attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday was thwarted by Ukrainian air defences, which were strengthened by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, shooting down all missiles aimed at the capital, according to officials.

According to Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, the bombardment included six Russian Kinzhal aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles, the most ever launched in a single attack during the conflict.

The Kinzhals are among the most cutting-edge weapons in Russia's arsenal, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has frequently hailed them as offering a crucial strategic competitive advantage. The missiles' hypersonic speed and manoeuvrability make them challenging to find and intercept.

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Putin's war efforts would suffer another setback if Ukraine's claim that it shot down six missiles fired on Tuesday is verified. It would also demonstrate the rising effectiveness of the nation's air defences.

Ihnat, the air force's spokesman, claimed in March that Ukraine lacked the tools necessary to intercept the Kinzhals; he made no mention of these tools on Tuesday. Western nations have been supplying Ukraine with various air defence systems since March.

According to Ihnat, Russia launched three S-400 cruise missiles from the ground in addition to nine cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea and the Kinzhals from MiG-31K fighter jets. Russia had launched 37 airstrikes and fired 27 missiles at Ukraine in total, the Ukrainian military claimed later.

The significant nighttime assault, which apparently aimed to overwhelm Ukraine's air defences, erupted in loud explosions over Kyiv. According to the mayor of Kiev, three people were hurt.

The bombardment occurred as European leaders looked for fresh ways to punish Russia for the conflict and a Chinese envoy tried to gain support for Beijing's peace proposal, which seems to have had little effect on the combatants. Additionally, it happened as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived home after a quick trip to Europe to request additional military assistance.

The attack on Kyiv last night was "exceptional in its density — the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest period of time," according to Serhii Popko, the head of the military administration in Kyiv.

Valentyna Myronets, 64, a resident of Kiev, claimed that she experienced "pain, fear, nervousness, and restlessness" during the assaults. God, we're looking forward to winning and when this is all over, she prayed.

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Melinda Simmons, the UK ambassador, wrote on Twitter that the barrage was "pretty intense. Bangs and trembling walls make for a difficult evening, she wrote.
The capital had been the target of Russian air raids eight times this month, a clear escalation after a lull in activity and ahead of the eagerly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly delivered cutting-edge Western weapons.

Ihnat claimed that after the initial assault, Russia also launched Shahed attack drones made in Iran and engaged in aerial reconnaissance. According to Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kiev, debris fell across a number of the city's districts and started fires.

Modern Western air defence systems, such as Patriot missiles made in the United States, have helped Kyiv avoid the kind of destruction seen along the main front line in the east and south of the country. While the majority of the ground combat is halted along that front line, both sides are using long-range weapons to attack other areas.

Two of the companies involved in making the Patriot missile system, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, were identified on a metal fragment that fell inside the Kyiv zoo, according to reporters for the Associated Press.

Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, claimed that a Kinzhal had destroyed a Patriot missile battery in Kyiv, but he offered no supporting documentation, so the claim could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian air force's spokesperson, Ihnat, declined to respond to the assertion.

Early in the invasion, Russia started employing the Kinzhal to strike targets in Ukraine, but due to limited availability, has only occasionally and against priority targets.

According to the Russian military, the missile can travel up to 1,250 miles or 2,000 kilometres (10 times the speed of sound). The Kinzhal can destroy heavily fortified targets like underground bunkers or mountain tunnels thanks to its speed and heavy warhead.

According to military experts, Ukraine's improved air defences have prevented Russian aircraft from invading its neighbour to great depths and have altered the course of the war.

The 46-nation Council of Europe, the continent's primary human rights organisation, is meeting in Iceland for a rare summit to discuss how to handle compensation claims resulting from Russia's harm to Ukraine.

A Chinese representative is getting ready to travel to Russia and Ukraine as Beijing promotes a peace plan it unveiled in February. Former ambassador to Moscow Li Hui will also travel to France, Germany, and Poland, the Chinese foreign ministry has announced.

The proposal from China has been cautiously welcomed by Ukraine, who also stated that they would wait to see what specific actions China takes. The government of China's president Xi Jinping claims to be impartial and wants to mediate the conflict, but because Moscow has received political support, a resolution now seems unlikely.

Russian authorities began preparing to evacuate 3,100 employees of the closed Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and their families, according to a representative of Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear company, in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) from Kyiv.

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Around 6,000 of the 11,000 people who worked at the plant, which was Europe's largest nuclear power station before the war, are still based there and in the nearby town of Enerhodar.

The representative, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak publicly about the situation, said that more Russian military units had arrived at the plant and were mining it. According to Energoatom on Telegram, Russian troops have prevented remaining employees from speaking to one another or leaving.