Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia launched one of its largest ballistic missile barrages of the war against Ukraine’s capital overnight, killing at least one person and wounding 16 others, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.
The attack involved 41 missiles of various types and caused damage across several Kyiv districts, while Ukrainian forces said they also downed 108 of 125 drones.
Damage across the capital
Powerful explosions were heard across the darkened city as residential buildings, warehouses, a supermarket and a dormitory were damaged, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Three people were in serious condition, Klitschko added.
Emergency workers searched through smouldering debris and sprayed water on bombed-out apartments at a site in western Kyiv.
A resident identified as Vlad told Reuters that a blast tore off his balcony door, which struck him in the head. He said his grandmother, who cannot walk, lives with him.
“My grandmother lives with me, and she can’t walk. How could I run away and leave her behind?” he said.
An underground pedestrian passage near a frequently targeted metro station closer to the city centre also collapsed, leaving rubble at the site.
Air defence pressure
Russian forces have increased ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks as Ukraine faces a critical shortage of U.S.-designed air defence systems.
Kyiv’s military said it shot down 18 missiles in Sunday’s attack, which it said was aimed primarily at the capital.
Zelenskiy said last week that the United States and Ukraine had reached a political agreement on licences to produce Patriot interceptors. He said he hoped production could begin by the end of the year.
