RUSSIA has unleashed a devastating wave of 110 missiles including a record number of hypersonic Daggers in a blistering revenge attack on Ukraine.
It comes after Vladimir Putin vowed to respond to Kyiv's deadly strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod on New Year's Eve that left 25 people dead and more than 100 injured.
Early on Tuesday, incoming Russian missiles reportedly "changed direction" in a bid to confuse Kyiv’s air defences with a "zig-zagging" movement.
In total, 110 different types of missiles were unleashed, marking some of the most intense strikes of the war so far - with more reported to be on the way.
Putin reportedly deployed a record number of 11 hypersonic Kinzhal - or Dagger - missiles simultaneously.
Explosions were reported in the Ukrainian capital at high-rise tower blocks, warehouses, a supermarket, a Tesla car dealership, and an electricity station.
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It was initially unclear if any military targets were hit in Kyiv.
Putin used at least four Mig-31K as well as Tu-95MS strategic bombers in the onslaught, according to reports.
And a total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers were in the air.
Rockets were fired from multiple directions in a bid to overwhelm Ukraine's air defences.
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Some missiles in the Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions changed course to attack Kyiv.
They were believed to be Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles - and reports said Putin had unleashed a record 11 on Ukraine early on Tuesday.
In Kharkiv, at least one person was killed and 41 wounded, with 16 rushed to hospital.
The Kropyvnytskyi airfield in the city was also hit.
Russian state TV said: "The Russian army launched new powerful strikes against the facilities and infrastructure of Ukrainian militants.
“We are talking about Kyiv, Kyiv region, Kirovohrad, as well as Vinnytsia and Kharkiv regions. Explosions and fires are reported.
“One of the targets was a military airfield. Warehouses with ammunition were also hit."
A video (formerly Twitter) shows the mass devastation of one of the streets in Kyiv following Putin's air strikes.
Annihilated buildings and torched cars are all that's left after missiles ripped through the city.
Emergency services can also be seen in the footage as they attempt to clear some of the wreckage.
A day earlier, Putin said he was "boiling" over the attacks on Belgorod - and vowed to respond.
He told wounded Russian troops: "What happened in Belgorod was, of course, a terrorist act.
"Because under the cover of two missiles they fired from multiple launch rocket systems and MLRS.
“With these weapons they struck the city centre... a targeted attack on the civilian population."
He vowed: "We’re going to intensify the strikes.
"No crime against civilians will rest unpunished – that’s for certain."
The dictator insisted - against a huge body of evidence - that Russia was only attacking "military installations", and would continue to do so.
Putin said: “We are doing that today, and tomorrow, we will continue doing it.”
Russia's defence ministry claimed Ukraine hit Belgorod - a western city of 330,000 25 miles from the Ukrainian border - with two missiles and several rockets.
Russian officials claim the attack killed at least 24 people and injured nearly 110 others in what appeared to be the single worst attack on Russian soil since the war began.
They claimed rockets had been shot down and debris had fallen on the city causing the casualties.
But dashcam footage showed the moment a Ukrainian missile hit a motorway.
The attack exposed weaknesses in Putin's air defence systems - and sparked the humiliated tyrant to mobilise an extra 2,000 servicemen to guard Moscow on New Year's Eve.
An earlier Russian missile strike in Ukraine on Saturday injured a Brit journalist.
A total of 17 people were wounded when a five-star hotel in Kharkiv was "deliberately" hit by Putin’s missiles.
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It’s thought a number of foreign reporters were staying there as they covered the war.