Key facts
- At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured in Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region.
- The attacks targeted apartment blocks, warehouses, and a medical facility.
- Rescue operations are ongoing to find survivors trapped under rubble.
- Poland announced preventative military aviation operations in response to the escalating strikes.
- Ukraine is facing a significant drop in air defense missile deliveries, exacerbating its vulnerability.
Russian ballistic missile strikes killed at least 17 people and injured dozens in Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attacks, which occurred after midnight, targeted apartment blocks, warehouses, and a medical facility, causing widespread damage and fires.
Rescue operations are underway to find survivors trapped under the rubble of demolished buildings. Poland's army announced it would launch preventative military aviation operations in response to the escalating strikes.
Kyiv's military administration reported that seven sites were attacked, with air raid alerts remaining in place for over an hour. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the destruction of a warehouse building and the rescue of two people from the ruins, while emphasizing that search and rescue operations were ongoing. Several other warehouses were also damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that at least nine people had been killed and urged allies for more missile interceptors, particularly US-made Patriot systems, to defend against Russian ballistic attacks. He noted that a lack of such interceptors "only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives."
In separate incidents, Ukrainian drones reportedly sank a Russian-owned container ship in the Black Sea, which Rosatom, the ship's owner, condemned as piracy. Separately, a missile landed near the Lithuanian embassy in Kyiv, causing damage. The conflict continues to see high civilian casualties.