At least nine people were killed and 23 others injured after Russia launched a fresh wave of ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine early Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials.
The attacks targeted Kyiv, where emergency responders battled fires and searched damaged residential buildings for survivors.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the deadliest strike hit the Darnytskyi district, killing seven people and injuring 14 others, including two children.
In Solomyanskyi district, two more people were killed while eight others, including two children, sustained injuries. This comes after part of a five-storey apartment building collapsed.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the capital came under ballistic missile attack, with multiple explosions reported across the city.
A residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was also partially destroyed, leaving several residents trapped beneath the rubble.
Power outages were reported in parts of Kyiv as emergency crews worked to contain fires caused by the strikes.
The latest bombardment comes just two days after a suspected Russian cruise missile landed inside Poland during another large-scale assault on Ukraine.
That earlier attack killed at least eight people, including six members of one family near Kryvyi Rih. It also raised fresh concerns about the conflict spilling beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Plea For Patriot Interceptor Missiles
The renewed missile offensive has intensified Ukraine’s calls for additional air defence capabilities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently met US President Donald Trump in Washington, where he sought approval for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles under licence.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, Trump said discussions were ongoing. However, he stressed that the United States had not yet agreed to allow domestic production of the advanced missile system.
“We have to be very careful about letting somebody build them,” Trump said, describing the transfer of such technology as “a big step.”
His remarks appeared more cautious than comments made weeks earlier, when he suggested the possibility of allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles.
Zelensky later revealed he held what he described as a productive phone conversation with US Vice-President JD Vance.
Writing on X, the Ukrainian president said strengthening air defence remained his country’s highest military priority.
“As Russia’s air attacks on our country continue unabated, air defence, specifically Patriot interceptors against ballistic missiles, remains a top priority,” Zelensky said.
Patriot systems remain the only weapons currently capable of intercepting Russia’s ballistic missiles. However, Ukraine has repeatedly warned that its stockpile of interceptor missiles is running dangerously low.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued to increase its own long-range attacks inside Russia. Recent operations have targeted warehouses belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries. Kyiv claims they are being used as logistics hubs for supplying military equipment to Russian forces.
These strikes highlight the continued escalation of the war, with both sides expanding the scope and intensity of their operations.
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