Russian Hypersonic Missiles Pummel Kiev After Ukraine Drone Damages Rosneft Refinery 

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Monday morning, with US Ambassador Bridget Brink writing on X that she observed "Loud explosions in Kyiv" as "Again this morning Russia is attacking Ukraine with hypersonic missiles. Loud explosions in Kyiv. Over the last five days, Russia has launched hundreds of missiles and drones against a sovereign country."

So far at least seven people have been reported inured, and a three story building in the central part of the city has been severely damaged.

A teenage girl was among the injured. Among the group of casualties, "Two of them are hospitalized. Others were treated by medics on the spot. Rescuers continue to clear the debris," Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

"Next to the destroyed premises of the state educational institution is a dormitory where there were many people. Fortunately, there was no damage, and no one was injured.” Russia's use of hypersonic missiles against the capital remains very rare, showing that Moscow intends to escalate in light of recent Ukrainian cross-border attacks.

A report in Kyiv Post strongly suggests this may have been an attempted so-called decapitation strike which aims to take out Ukraine's military and intelligence top echelons: 

Kyiv Post’s sources within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have confirmed that two ballistic missiles were launched from Russian-occupied Crimea toward Kyiv on Monday and were aimed at the SBU offices.

Today, March 25, Ukraine is observing the Day of the Security Service of Ukraine. According to sources from the Kyiv Post, the missiles were aimed at the premises where high-ranking SBU officials are located.

The major strike also appeared a retaliation attack coming on the heels of Ukraine's military declaring a successful attack on two Russian warships and a communications center in Crimea on Sunday. That attack had also involved Russian anti-air defenses downing at least ten inbound missiles over the port of Sevastopol as the Ukrainian operation unfolded.

Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on social media while hailing the attacks, "The sky and the sea are of the same color! I thank the pilots and navy for their successful combat work! Crimea is ours! To the victory together!"

Unconfirmed videos quickly circulated thereafter, which CNN described:

A video posted to a local Telegram channel shows a series of large explosions in the city, sending fireballs and thick black smoke into the air. Another fireball can be seen in the far distance.

Ukraine said the vessels hit were two amphibious landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

CNN estimates that over the course of the more than two year long war, at least 20 naval vessels have been destroyed or damaged enough to become disabled, which marks one-third of the Black Sea fleet.

More large-scale Russian airstrikes deeper into Ukraine are expected given the ongoing Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries, with the latest such attack happening Saturday but coming to light in international press via Reuters on Monday. "Rosneft’s Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara, Russia halted CDU-5, one of its two primary refining units, Reuters reports, citing two people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg reports of this latest.

Samara lies deep inside Russian territory, over 500 miles from the Ukraine border, making this another very long-range strike by Ukraine...

Regional Governor Dmitry Azarov described that a large a fire broke due to direct impact by Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend, per statements in Interfax, damaging the primary oil refining unit.