KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday announced the first combat use of a domestically developed FP-7 tactical ballistic missile.

"Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile. FP-7. First combat use. Thank you for the result," Zelensky wrote on X, attaching the statement with a video.

Zelensky added that the missile would now move into the production stage.

Developed by Ukrainian company Fire Point, the FP-7 is designed to carry a payload of up to 200 kilograms and strike targets at ranges of up to 250 km.

The ground-launched missile is being developed as a ballistic interceptor for the Freyja program.

Russian drones strike Southern Bridge in Kyiv

In a post on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russia-launched drones struck the Southern Bridge during an attack on the Ukrainian capital on Thursday.

Klitschko said that two drones hit the area near the bridge's support section.

The Kyiv City State Administration said traffic over the bridge had been temporarily suspended. A preliminary inspection found no critical damage to the structure.

ALSO READ: Russia says strikes destroyed 25% of Ukraine's internet, Starlink facilities

The Southern Bridge, which carries both road and metro traffic, is one of the key transport arteries in the capital, connecting the city's eastern and western banks. 

Russian drone hit Kyiv nuclear research institute

In another Russian drone strike, the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which houses the Kyiv research reactor WWR-M, was struck, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.

The attack took place at 6:18 pm local time (1518 GMT) on Wednesday and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) said in a statement.

The reactor itself and its safety-critical systems were not damaged, and no changes in background radiation levels have been detected, the agency said.

According to the SNRIU, the reactor has been shut down since February 2022 to minimize radiation risks and its core has been fully unloaded.

Russian authorities have not yet commented on the incident. 

Pilot killed in fighter jet crash

Separately, a 25-year-old pilot, Marat Mambetov, was killed on Thursday in a MiG-29 fighter jet crash in Ukraine, the country's air force said in a statement.

The aircraft was hit by a Russian missile while performing a combat mission in a frontline area, according to the air force.

READ MORE: Kremlin: EU transfer of Russian asset revenue to Ukraine illegal

The pilot ejected from the aircraft but did not survive, the statement said.