Ukraine's air defences shot down all five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles used by Russian forces to attack the capital, the air force said.
Residents in the city centre heard loud explosions and fires broke out in several buildings, Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv's military administration said.
Photos from the site showed the wrecked roof of an office block with blown-out windows in central Kyiv and firefighters extinguishing flames after a car was heavily damaged on the street below.
Kyiv city military administration said 12 people had been wounded, including five who had been taken to hospital.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said that the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Portugal, housed in the same building, were damaged as a result of the strike.
There were no casualties among diplomatic staff, it said.
"This is another barbaric attack by Russia on civilian targets that shows no willingness for peace," the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X.
Russian missiles damaged the Portuguese Embassy in Kyiv.— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) No diplomatic representation should ever be targeted or even impacted.This is another barbaric attack by Russia on civilian targets that shows no willingness for peace.I extend my full solidarity to diplomatic staff.December 20, 2024
The Russian Defence Ministry said it had struck a command centre used by Ukraine's SBU security service, a site which it said was involved in the designing and construction of missiles and a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
"The goals of the strike have been achieved. All targets have been hit," the ministry said, casting the strike as a response to Ukraine's attack on Russia's Rostov region with Western missiles.
Reuters was unable to verify the reports by either side.
The Russian strike also damaged St Nicholas Cathedral, "a monument of national significance", Ukraine's minister for cultural affairs Mykola Tochytskyi said on X.
Russia is once again attacking our culture. The St.Nicholas Cathedral in Kyiv, a monument of national significance and a part of our history, has been damaged. The blast wave also impacted the National House of Music. — Mykola Tochytskyi (@tochytskyi) pic.twitter.com/nQtfKg6c2lDecember 20, 2024
Ukraine's air force said it also downed 40 out of 65 drones launched by Russia across the country overnight, with a further 20 drones failing to reach their targets.
Russian troops also targeted Ukraine's southern city of Kherson with various types of weapons in the early morning, killing one person and wounding nine others, the regional governor said.
Energy facilities were damaged causing power cuts for up to 60,000 consumers, he added.
Russia has been carrying out airstrikes on Kyiv and other targets, particularly energy infrastructure, as its forces advance in the industrial Donbas region in eastern Ukraine before expected peace efforts next year.
Amid concern in Kyiv that Donald Trump could cut American support for its war effort when he returns to the White House next month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the US president-elect on Thursday to ally with Europe to stop Russia.
