Russia’s Investigative Committee, which is responsible for investigating serious crimes, said it was considering the death as an act of terrorism.
An official at Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency, speaking about clandestine operations on the condition of anonymity, said the killed officer had been responsible for cruise missile launches from the Black Sea, identifying him as Valeriy Trankovsky.
In the attack, Russia synchronised the arrival in the capital of fast-flying ballistic missiles and slower-moving cruise missiles, a common tactic. The Kyiv city military administration initially said North Korean-made Hwasong ballistic missiles may have been used. But Ukraine’s air force later reported that two Russian-made Iskander-M ballistic missiles were shot down.
Falling debris started fires in Kyiv’s suburbs and wounded one person, local authorities reported. Two short-range S-300 air defence missiles that had been repurposed by Russia for ground attack were also fired over Ukraine’s north-eastern border, the air force said. It provided no details on what they targeted.
Russia also launched 90 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones.
The missile bombardment of the capital came as Russia pressed attacks in eastern Ukraine, with much of the most ferocious fighting concentrated in the Donetsk region.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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