Polish outlet Wirtualna Polska reports a sharp deterioration in Ukraine’s air defense situation amid continued large-scale strikes by the Russian Armed Forces. According to the publication, the growing use of advanced high-speed weapons is significantly reducing the reaction window available to Ukrainian air defense systems and early-warning services.

The authors point in particular to the deployment of Russia’s 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles, which drastically shorten response times. When launched from Crimea, these missiles are reported to reach Kiev within minutes, in some cases outpacing the activation of air raid alerts.

Alongside the Zircon strikes, the Russian military has also resumed the use of heavy Kh-22 cruise missiles against Kiev for the first time since 2022. These weapons, carried by Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, are noted for their extreme speed, accelerating in the stratosphere to around five times the speed of sound.

Wirtualna Polska further highlights the impact of strikes on energy infrastructure, which have led to widespread disruptions in urban services. Power, water, and heating outages were recorded in several districts of Kiev, including the city’s left-bank areas.

The outlet cites DTEK CEO Maksim Timchenko as saying that Ukraine has lost between 60 and 70 percent of its electricity generation capacity. He warned that if the current trend continues, the risk of a humanitarian crisis will increase.

With freezing temperatures and an unstable power supply, residents of Kiev are increasingly seeking warmth in the metro system and in so-called «points of resilience," the report concludes.