Kyiv Hit By Russian Hypersonic Missiles-US Ambassador

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink posts on X: "Again this morning Russia is attacking Ukraine with hypersonic missiles. Loud explosions in Kyiv. Over the last 5 days, Russia has launched hundreds of missiles and drones against a sovereign country. Ukraine needs our assistance now. There is not a moment to lose." Ukrainian forces claim to have shot down two ballistic missiles over the city.

• The attack comes just days after a major terrorist attack on the Crocus City Concert Hall in Moscow, in which 137 were killed by Islamic State (IS)-linked gunmen. Initially President Vladimir Putin appeared to try to link the attackers with Ukraine.
• The subsequent claiming of responsibility by Islamic State Khorasan and the appearance of the four gunmen in a Moscow court has done little to quell speculation that the Kremlin could use the atrocity as an excuse for an escalation in attacks against Ukraine.
• Euractiv reports: "As the attack shatters Vladimir Putin’s security promise to Russians, observers expect him to look for an easy win elsewhere, including a more forceful push against Ukraine. The Kremlin will try to escape responsibility by using propaganda to suggest the involvement of Ukraine and the West, which many Russian citizens will likely believe because they live in a controlled media environment, Tsvetlin Yovchev, former head of the Bulgarian counter-intelligence agency DANS, told Nova TV."