At least 17 people have been killed and dozens more injured after Russia launched a wave of ballistic and anti-ship missiles on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months.
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired more than two dozen missiles during the assault, with none intercepted by the country’s air defense systems, highlighting Ukraine’s growing shortage of missile interceptors.
Emergency responders worked through the night to extinguish fires and search damaged buildings, while officials warned that rescue operations continued under the threat of additional strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks primarily targeted civilian infrastructure, including warehouse facilities, a brewery, hardware store warehouses, a railway station and other logistics sites around the capital.
“The main targets of the attack were warehouses belonging to civilian enterprises,” Zelensky said, adding that extensive damage had been recorded across the Kyiv region.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed carrying out what it described as a “massive strike” using precision-guided missiles and long-range drones.
Moscow claimed the targets were transport, logistics and distribution centres allegedly used to store weapons, military supplies and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The latest assault comes as Ukraine continues to grapple with dwindling stocks of US-made Patriot missile interceptors, currently the only system capable of destroying some of Russia’s advanced ballistic missiles.
Zelensky renewed his appeal to Ukraine’s allies to speed up the delivery of additional air defense systems and interceptors, warning that delays are costing civilian lives.
“It is crucial that our partners realize that delays in their delivery or a reluctance to provide anti-ballistic systems lead precisely to such horrific casualties and destruction,” he said, while also urging allies to impose additional sanctions on Russia.
According to Ukrainian authorities, July was the deadliest month for civilians since April 2022, with at least 377 people killed and more than 2,100 injured in Russian attacks across the country.
Meanwhile, Ukraine also carried out overnight drone strikes inside Russia, reportedly hitting another Wildberries logistics centre in the Tula region.
Russian officials said the attack caused damage to residential buildings and industrial facilities.
The exchange of strikes follows recent Ukrainian attacks on Wildberries logistics centres, which Moscow says have disrupted civilian infrastructure inside Russia, while Ukraine maintains it is targeting facilities linked to Russia’s war effort.
The conflict, now in its fifth year, continues to intensify with both sides exchanging long-range missile and drone attacks that have increasingly affected civilian areas.
SOURCE: CNN