Summary:
Seventeen killed and more than 40 people wounded In Kyiv and surrounding communities, authorities say
Homes, a school, a children’s hospital and a kindergarten were damaged
Zelenskyy criticizes the international response and urges allies to replenish Patriot interceptors
Russia says it struck drone-production facilities, a military depot and a logistics hub
SEVENTEEN people were killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region Thursday in a sweeping Russian missile and drone attack, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said allies’ failure to replenish Ukraine’s supply of Patriot interceptors was costing lives.
The overnight assault lasted nearly nine hours and wounded more than 40 people. Most of the dead were in the capital, and one person was killed in the surrounding region.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 168 drones alongside dozens of cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Ukrainian defenses shot down nearly 90% of the drones and most of the cruise missiles. The air force did not disclose the number of ballistic missiles launched or say whether any were intercepted.
Zelenskyy described the barrage as one of the most “cynical, calculated, and large-scale” attacks of the four-and-a-half-year war.
The upper floors of a nine-story apartment building were destroyed in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district. Across the capital and nearby communities, 30 residential buildings, a school, a children’s hospital and a kindergarten sustained damage. Mayor Vitali Klitschko called for Friday to be observed as a day of mourning.
The attack knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of customers. DTEK restored service to about 90,000 households.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck facilities producing drone components, a military depot and a logistics hub, along with other targets in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
The operation reached Ukraine’s Black Sea region, where a strike targeted a border crossing with Moldova in Odesa. Repeated attacks on the region’s ports and ships have brought Ukraine’s vital agricultural exports close to a standstill in recent weeks, adding pressure to global food prices.
Patriot Shortage Deepens the Risk
Russia’s increased use of ballistic missiles has made Ukraine’s supply of Patriot interceptors central to the protection of its cities. The Patriot is the only weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of downing a ballistic missile.
Zelenskyy said allied countries had failed to replace the interceptors Ukraine had used.
“The interceptors for Patriot systems have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
“Each additional missile saves the lives of our people.”
He said Moscow would not seriously negotiate for peace as long as Ukraine lacked missile defenses to protect its cities.
U.S.-mediated efforts to end the war stalled earlier this year after Kyiv rejected Russian demands for additional Ukrainian territory. Ukraine submitted its own proposals to U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner this month.
“Unfortunately ... the world’s response to such attacks is not always adequate,” Zelenskyy said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded that she was working with European Union member states and partners to provide Ukraine with anti-ballistic defenses as “the most urgent of priorities.”
Nine Hours of Explosions and Rescue Work
Explosions shook Kyiv through the night as rescuers worked at damaged residential buildings.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said food warehouses and Red Cross facilities around the capital were among the sites damaged. Strikes on food retailers’ logistics depots have occasionally left Kyiv supermarkets without fresh fruit and vegetables in recent weeks.
At the shattered apartment building in Solomianskyi district, rescuers recovered the body of an elderly woman’s grandson. She stood crying beside him until medical workers came to support her.
Ukraine also carried out attacks on Russian oil and logistics infrastructure overnight. Authorities in Tatarstan, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of Moscow, reported a disruption at an industrial complex in Nizhnekamsk following a Ukrainian drone attack. Residential apartments sustained damage.
Ukraine’s military said it struck the TANECO oil refinery and an oil terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Ukraine says such attacks are intended to undermine Moscow’s ability to wage war.
A drone crashed into Romania, a NATO and European Union member, during the Russian assault on Ukraine. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said another drone came down on Moldovan territory.
The Kremlin said it had no information about a possible Moscow visit by Kushner and Witkoff. The two negotiators last traveled to the Russian capital in January and have not visited Kyiv. No date has been confirmed for their proposed trip to Ukraine.
A Quick Ask: Because Independent Journalism Does Not Fund Itself.
Press freedom does not survive on vibes. It survives because readers decide the work is worth protecting. The Developer is independent, ad-free, and reader-funded—which means your support goes directly into the reporting, not into some billionaire’s pocket. If my work helps you stay informed, consider upgrading to paid: $8/month or $80/year. If upgrading isn’t possible right now, sharing The Developer with someone who needs to read it matters just as much. Help keep independent journalism alive and impossible to buy.
