Kyiv: Early on Thursday morning, loud explosions were heard in Kyiv, and the city's Military Administration reported that falling debris started a fire in a non-residential building.

There was no immediate information on casualties, and it was unclear how extensive the Russian attack against the capital was.

The capital has been the target of Russian air raids nine times this month, a clear escalation following weeks of calm and ahead of a hotly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using recently delivered cutting-edge Western weapons.

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Strategic bombers from the Caspian region carried out the attack, likely using cruise missiles, and Russia later sent out reconnaissance aircraft over the capital. According to early reports, all hostile targets were obliterated, Kyiv Military Administration chief Serhiy Popko wrote in a Telegram post.

Two neighbourhoods were hit by debris, and a garage complex fire was put out. According to Popko, there has been no information on any victims to date.

Intense Russian air attacks on Kyiv were thwarted earlier this week when Ukrainian air defences, strengthened by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, shot down all missiles aimed at the capital, according to officials.

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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 X-101 and X-55 types of cruise missiles, created during the Soviet era, are reportedly what were used on Thursday.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has frequently praised the hypersonic missiles that were used on Tuesday as being among the most cutting-edge weapons in his nation's arsenal and offering a crucial strategic competitive advantage. The missiles' hypersonic speed and manoeuvrability make them challenging to find and intercept.

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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