Russian Strikes Kill At Least 18 In Kyiv, Ukraine Warns Interceptor Shortage

Russian missiles and drones struck apartment buildings in Kyiv early Monday, killing at least 18 people on the eve of a crucial NATO summit, authorities said, with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko describing rescue crews pulling residents from buildings shattered by the overnight barrage.

“The Ukrainian Air Force says a "serious shortage" of interceptor missiles meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv on Sunday night were shot down, BBC reports”

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The Financial Express reported that the death toll included two bodies pulled out of a heavily damaged apartment building in the historic Podilskyi district, while Tkachenko said four residential buildings had been struck in Podilskyi alone and rescuers evacuated 15 people after a partial collapse.

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CBC said the attack killed at least 22 people, with 15 killed in Kyiv and 56 injured, and it added that another seven were killed in the wider Kyiv region and 29 were injured.

The Financial Express also said the Ukrainian Air Force warned that a “serious shortage” of interceptor missiles meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv on Sunday night were shot down, even as Zelensky urged the alliance to take “strong decisions” on boosting Ukraine’s air defences.

CBC quoted Tymur Tkachenko describing the targets as “These are residential buildings. Places where people slept and lived their ordinary lives,” as a residential building in the Podilskyi district partially collapsed.

Ukraine’s leaders and officials framed the strike as proof of a widening gap in air defences, with CBC saying the ballistic missiles launched by Russia struck their targets and underscored Kyiv’s shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

In a post on Telegram, Tymur Tkachenko said a residential building in the Podilskyi district partially collapsed, and CBC described people believed to be trapped under rubble in the Darnytsia district as multistorey buildings were damaged.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC News that it was struggling to intercept “Russian ballistic missiles. And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles,” and he urged the NATO summit in Ankara to produce “strong decisions” in support of air defense.

NBC News also quoted Zelenskyy saying, “As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings,” while the Financial Express reported Zelensky urged allies to boost interceptor capacity after the strike.

CBC included the air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat saying, “To intercept ballistics, we need the means for interception,” and it added that Russia was exploiting the deficit of interceptor missiles now in Ukraine and the world.

The sources tied the immediate aftermath to the NATO summit and to the question of whether Ukraine can close the interceptor gap, with the Financial Express saying Zelensky appealed for allies to take “strong decisions” at the this week’s Nato summit to provide Kyiv with air defences.

CBC reported that Russia’s Defence Ministry said the attack targeted weapons factories in Kyiv, including sites it said produce drones, sea drones, armoured vehicles and missiles, as well as facilities that repair air defence systems and fuel and energy infrastructure in the city and surrounding region.

PBS (AP) said emergency workers searched for survivors in the rubble of residential high-rises in two locations that suffered direct hits, and it added that on Thursday a Russian strike killed 31 people in Kyiv, the deadliest for the capital this year.

Business Insider said Ukraine did not shoot down a single Russian ballistic missile during the massive attack that began Sunday night, and it stated that Russia launched 23 ballistic missiles, more than three dozen cruise missiles, and hundreds of drones, mainly targeting Kyiv.

In the Financial Express, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that “From a building in the Podilskyi district, where a partial collapse occurred, rescuers evacuated 15 people,” as the attack underscored how Kyiv’s air defence relied on interceptor supplies.