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Kyiv hit in ballistic barrage
Russia launched what Ukraine described as its largest ballistic missile attack on Kyiv since the start of the war, with the Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha saying the barrage was “a brutal terrorist attack on the Ukrainian capital” and demanding a firm response.
Ukrainian officials said the hours-long attacks early on Sunday killed one person and wounded at least 16, and Ukraine’s national police said the strikes spanned six districts of the city.
The BBC reported that Russia carried out a wave of ballistic missile and drone strikes on Ukraine that killed at least eight people and injured dozens, including four deaths in Kharkiv and an elderly woman in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 18 of 41 missiles launched overnight and intercepted 108 drones, while the State Emergency Service said fires were sparked across Kyiv and rescue workers pulled four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district.
In the Black Sea, Ukraine’s navy said five people were killed when a Turkish-owned civilian cargo ship with grain was hit by Russian missiles, while Ukraine also said it hit two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea.
Zelensky, Sybiha and defense gaps
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the raid on Kyiv was “one of the most massive ballistic attacks” since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, and he also posted that “protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now”.
The New Nation reported that the latest bombardment highlighted mounting challenges for Ukraine in its fifth year of war as it weathers almost daily Russian attacks with a shortage of Patriot air defence missiles.
CNN said Ukraine’s air force reported that air defenses had “shot down or neutralized 126 targets, including 18 missiles and 108 unmanned aerial vehicles,” while adding that 23 missiles and 10 drones had hit 20 locations.
In Kyiv, the State Emergency Service said fires were reported in five districts, damaging residential buildings, offices, industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles, and NPR quoted Viktoria Shejko describing the explosions as “one missile after another.”
The BBC also reported that Zelensky said Russia had “used about 1,450 strike drones, more than 1,640 guided bombs and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine” in the past week.
Interceptors, retaliation and logistics
Ukraine said it struck two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, while the BBC reported that Ukraine also said it hit three Russian oil depots in the southern Stavropol region and that Zelensky said the targets “finance Russian aggression”.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said its terminal had been hit and that oil loading operations were suspended after two tankers were damaged, while the BBC reported there were no injuries or oil spills.
The New Nation said the bombardment underscored Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles, and it reported that the United States President Donald Trump said he was prepared to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically.
Zelensky told X that “Interceptors are needed every day,” and the BBC said the systems in the capital shot down 18 out of 41 missiles and intercepted 108 drones during the attack.
As Russian strikes continued beyond Kyiv, the BBC reported fatalities in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, and it also said a logistics hub in Bucha district near Kyiv was hit with two people injured.
