Russia says five people have been killed in a Ukrainian strike in the western Kursk region.
Ukrainian officials said earlier that Moscow had launched a new missile attack on Kyiv, damaging a building that housed several embassies.
In Russia, the acting governor of the Kursk region said that in addition to those killed, nine people were taken to hospital after the attack on the town of Rylsk.
Alexander Khinshtein said that a cultural center, a fitness center, a school and homes were damaged in the strike which happened at 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Friday.
Russian officials earlier said six people were killed, including a child, in Rylsk, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
But in an audio message on Telegram on Saturday morning, Khinstein provided the latest update, saying there were five deaths.
“There were no children among those who were killed,” he said.
Ukrainian troops still hold parts of the Kursk region after launching a surprise cross-border offensive in early August.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said Russia's strike on Kyiv affected the diplomatic missions of Albania, Argentina, North Macedonia, Palestine, Portugal and Montenegro. It is not clear if the building they are in was aimed directly at the capital of Ukraine.
At least one person was killed and nine others wounded in the strike that damaged several buildings in the city, the Ukrainian military said. None of the embassy diplomats are believed to have been injured.
In an authentic video filmed in Pecherskyi District, the second oldest Catholic church in Kyiv, St. Nicholas Cathedral. shown with broken windows after a nearby explosion.
Ukraine's military said Russia had launched 65 drones and missiles across the country overnight, most of which were shot down.
One man in Kyiv, who said he was the owner of a restaurant that caused extensive damage after the attack, was filmed cursing the Russians as “animals” as he examined the charred shell of a building in front of him.
The video was widely shared on social media.
Ukrainian police search debris inside St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Kyiv (EPA)
Oksana, another resident, sent the BBC pictures of her destroyed apartment, with windows blown in and glass and brickwork strewn across the floors.
“I don't understand how I survived,” she said.
“My balcony flew off, half of my walls are gone. My neighbor is in such shock that she can't even speak. I have no words for the people who did this.”
A local journalist at the scene told the BBC that one of the nearby buildings had been used by the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, and was likely the target of the strikes, although much of the damage seen by the BBC affected him. residential buildings.
In a statement confirming the attack, Russia's defense ministry said missiles were fired at an SBU “command post” in response to a strike on a chemical plant in Russia's Rostov Region two days ago.
But there is also speculation in Kyiv that Friday's attack could be linked to the killing of a Russian General, Lt-Gen Igor Kirillovin Moscow on Tuesday.
Friday's attack comes a day later Vladimir Putin's year-end press conference and a phone-in show, in which he threatened to launch more ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital.
There is concern in Ukraine that Russia could a intermediate range ballistic missile called Oreshnik to hit Kyiv. Moscow fired the missile at the city center of Dnipro earlier this month.
Earlier on Friday morning, Ukrainian authorities issued an air alert related to the possible launch of the Oreshnik missile, and urged people in Kyiv to seek shelter urgently. It turned out to be a false alarm.
(BBC)
