Missiles and drones hammered Kyiv on Tuesday morning, officials said, in what appeared to be a large-scale Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital and other cities.

The Ukrainian air force said the barrage involved some of Russia’s most powerful weapons, possibly including hypersonic missiles that fly at several times the speed of sound.

Loud bangs jolted Kyiv as its air defense systems tried to shoot down the missiles. Massive plumes of black and white smoke rose from locations throughout the city, cutting through the gray early morning sky, as several buildings were hit.

Vitali Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor, said that debris from intercepted strikes had caused fires in several parts of the capital and that power had been cut off from several residential buildings and other facilities. In the centre of Kyiv, near a thermal plant, white smoke billowed.

On Friday, Russia launched one of its largest air attacks of the war. Ukrainian authorities had warned for months that Russia was likely to pound Ukrainian cities and target their infrastructure.

New York Times News Service