Ukraine Claims Russia Targeted Kyiv With 5 Hypersonic Missiles This Year

A Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is fired from a Russian warship. (file photo)

Russia has used five hypersonic Zircon missiles to attack Kyiv since the start of the year, the city's military administration said on April 1.

It added that Moscow had in total launched 180 weapons of various types, including missiles and drones, at the Ukrainian capital in the first three months of the year.

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The news comes as Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent days, causing significant damage in several regions.

On March 22, Moscow's troops carried out what was described as the largest strike on grid infrastructure in the two-year-old full-scale invasion, causing major damage and resulting in massive power outages. It continued targeting Ukraine's thermal and hydropower plants last week.

In the latest attacks, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down two out of three Russia-launched Shahed drones overnight, the Ukrainian military said on April 1. The General Staff did not provide additional details on the attack in its report. It was unclear whether the drone that was not intercepted reached its target.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian border guards repelled an attack by what were described as Russian saboteurs in the Sumy region, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported on April 1.

On the diplomatic front, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on April 1 that Paris expects China to send "clear messages" to its close partner Russia over its war in Ukraine, after meetings with his counterpart in Beijing.

Sejourne said France is determined to maintain a close dialogue with China to contribute toward finding a path to a lasting peace in Ukraine.

France and China have sought to strengthen ties in recent years and, during meetings in Paris in February, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told President Emmanuel Macron that Beijing appreciated his country's "independent" stance.

But Paris has also sought to press Beijing on its close ties with Moscow, which have only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.