Russian ballistic missile strikes killed at least nine people and injured 28 in Kyiv early on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials, as fires, collapsed buildings and power cuts affected several districts of the capital. Four children were among the injured.
More than a dozen explosions sounded across Kyiv after air raid warnings sent residents into shelters. Emergency teams worked through damaged apartment blocks and burning warehouses while rescue crews searched for people trapped under rubble.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes hit residential areas across the city. Officials reported deaths and injuries in at least two districts, while damage and fires occurred in five districts.
Seven people died and 14 suffered injuries in the Darnytskyi district, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Buildings and vehicles sustained damage in the area.
Two people died and eight suffered injuries in the Solomianskyi district, where part of a five-storey residential building collapsed. Two children were among those hurt there.
A residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district also sustained damage. Klitschko said parts of the first and second floors collapsed, leaving people trapped inside.
Emergency workers rescued 105 people from affected locations, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.
Fires broke out in residential and commercial areas. Some parts of the city lost electricity after the strikes damaged local infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 35 missiles and 185 drones across Ukraine during the overnight attack. Kyiv was the main target, though strikes also caused damage in the Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltava regions.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces intercepted only one ballistic missile. He blamed a shortage of air defence ammunition for the low interception rate.
The president said the lack of interceptor missiles allowed Russia to continue attacks that caused civilian deaths. He renewed his appeal for more Patriot interceptors, which Ukraine relies on to target incoming ballistic missiles.
Finland condemned the strikes.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the attacks had killed nine people and injured 28, including four children. She expressed condolences to the families of those killed and called for an end to Russia’s war.
The strike marked the second large Russian attack on Ukraine within two days.
A suspected Russian cruise missile landed in Poland during an earlier assault on Thursday. That attack also struck several parts of Ukraine and killed members of one family near Kryvyi Rih.
Polish authorities summoned Russia’s ambassador following the missile incident.
Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles and long-range drones in recent months. The attacks have placed further strain on Ukraine’s air defence network as stocks of interceptor missiles fall.
The Patriot system remains the main weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal for intercepting ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials have asked the United States to supply more missiles and grant Kyiv a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptors.
Zelenskyy raised the issue during talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington earlier this week.
Trump had indicated at a Nato summit in Turkey in July that Ukraine would receive production rights. He later stepped back from that position.
Ukraine has increased its own long-range attacks on Russian territory. Its forces have targeted oil facilities, ports, warehouses and logistics centres that Kyiv says support the Russian military.
Ukraine’s military said it struck an oil refinery in Volgograd on Friday. A fire followed the attack at the site, which processes about 15 million tonnes of oil each year, according to the Ukrainian armed forces.
The regional governor said an energy facility and warehouses caught fire after a drone attack. Five people suffered injuries, according to Russian officials.
A logistics centre operated by Russian online retailer Wildberries also caught fire in Volgograd. The company said no staff members suffered injuries.
Ukraine has attacked more than a dozen Wildberries locations since 18 July. Kyiv regards the warehouses as military logistics targets because the retailer supplies equipment used by Russian troops.
Wildberries founder and chief executive Tatyana Kim described the attacks as acts of terrorism against civilians. She said the disruption affected customers in Russia and other countries.
HT