Ukraine said on Tuesday it had downed six advanced Russian hypersonic missiles during an overnight barrage of missiles and drones, hours ahead of a visit from a special envoy from China.

"Another unbelievable success for the Ukrainian Air Forces! Last night, our sky defenders shot down SIX Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and 12 other missiles," Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an English-language statement on Twitter.

The statement on Tuesday did not specify what weapon had been used to shoot down the Kinzhals overnight.

It also came just over a week after Ukraine said it had downed its first Kinzhal hypersonic missile using US-supplied systems.

Some debris fell in several districts of Kyiv, including on its zoo, injuring three people, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who unveiled the Kinzhal missile in 2018, described it as "an ideal weapon" extremely difficult to intercept.

Beijing's special envoy, high-ranking diplomat Li Hui, is expected to arrive in Kyiv for a two-day visit, as part of a European tour to promote Beijing-led peace negotiations on the war in Ukraine.

"He's expected to meet the FM and other high-ranking officials," a Ukraine government source told the AFP news agency without giving further details.

Meanwhile, Poland's ministry of foreign affairs said on Tuesday that Li will visit Warsaw on Friday following his trip to Kyiv. (AFP)
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Last updated: 2023-05-16 HKT 17:39