Russian missile and drone strikes killed 16 people and injured more than 40 in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Thursday, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to call on allies to urgently replenish the country’s air defence missile stocks.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched dozens of ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles alongside 168 drones in the overnight assault. Ukrainian forces intercepted nearly 90% of the drones and most cruise missiles, but ballistic missiles penetrated the country’s defences and caused significant damage.
In Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, the upper floors of a nine-storey residential building were destroyed, with most of the capital’s fatalities reported there. A school, children’s hospital, warehouses and other facilities were also damaged.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine urgently needs additional Patriot interceptor missiles, which he described as the country’s only system capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
“Each additional missile saves the lives of our people,” Zelenskiy said.
The strikes also hit the Odesa region, damaging port infrastructure and further disrupting Ukraine’s agricultural exports. The overnight attack lasted nearly nine hours, with food warehouses and Red Cross facilities around Kyiv among those damaged.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported strikes against targets inside Russia, including the TANECO oil refinery and an oil terminal in Tatarstan. A drone also crashed in Romania, while another fell in Moldova, according to officials.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said providing Ukraine with anti ballistic capabilities was an urgent priority as Kyiv continues to seek additional support from its allies.
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