The world woke up to a horrifying news today as Russia unleashed a massive wave of missiles across Ukraine in the dead of the night, killing at least nine innocent civilians and plunging the country into darkness by knocking out power. Kyiv has reported that the attack included six Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, one of the most valuable weapons in Moscow's arsenal.

The mass strikes targeted infrastructure and residential buildings in ten regions, far away from the front, and shattered the longest calm since Moscow began its air campaign against Ukraine's civil infrastructure five months ago. The assault was the first such wave since mid-February and briefly forced Europe's biggest nuclear power plant off the grid, causing widespread panic among the citizens.

The Kinzhal missiles used in the attack were a new addition to Russia's arsenal and caused widespread destruction. Ukrainian officials have reported that it was the first time they had faced so many of these weapons, which they have no way to shoot down. The White House has expressed its shock and dismay, saying that the barrage was "devastating" to see, and the United States would continue to provide Ukraine with air defense capabilities.

Russia's defense ministry has claimed that the attack was a "massive retaliatory strike" as payback for a cross-border raid last week. However, Kyiv has refuted these claims, saying that the air strikes have no military purpose and aim to harm and intimidate civilians, which is a war crime.

The attacks have caused widespread devastation and loss of life, with villagers in Zolochiv in Ukraine's western Lviv region carrying a body in a black plastic bag over the rubble of a brick house completely destroyed by a missile. Oksana Ostapenko, the sister of the victim, Halyna, said that her sister's body was still buried under the rubble, along with two other family members, and they haven't been found yet. Three other civilians were also killed by artillery in Kherson.

The Kinzhal missiles used in the attack fly many times faster than the speed of sound and are built to carry nuclear warheads with a range of more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles). Russia is believed to have just a few dozen Kinzhals in its arsenal. In his speeches, President Vladimir Putin regularly touts the Kinzhal as a weapon for which the transatlantic NATO alliance backing Kyiv has no answer, and this attack has shown the world the true destructive power of these weapons.

Apart from the loss of life, the attacks have also caused severe damage to critical infrastructure, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest. The plant was severed from the grid, forcing it onto emergency diesel power to prevent a meltdown. The UN's nuclear watchdog chief, Rafael Grossi, has appealed for a protection zone around the plant, saying that each time they allow this to continue, they are rolling a dice, and their luck may run out one day.

The attacks have once again raised concerns