Russian strikes kill 17 in Kyiv as Zelenskiy cites air-defence shortage
Dozens of missiles and 168 drones targeted the capital and surrounding region; upper floors of a nine-story residential block were destroyed in Solomianskyi district.
Kyiv1 min read
Last updated
Russian missile and drone strikes killed 17 people and injured more than 40 in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Thursday.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched dozens of missiles and 168 drones overnight. Nearly 90 percent of the drones and most of the cruise missiles were intercepted. Details on ballistic missiles were not released.
The upper floors of a nine-story residential block in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district were destroyed. Most of the 15 deaths in the capital occurred there, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. He declared Friday a day of mourning. A school and a children's hospital were also hit, along with non-residential facilities and warehouses in two other districts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a failure by Ukraine's allies to replenish stocks of air-defence missiles was costing civilian lives.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it struck facilities producing drone components, a military depot and a logistics hub in the Kyiv region. Strikes also hit the Black Sea region of Odesa, where repeated attacks on port infrastructure have nearly halted agricultural exports.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks on civilian areas. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, who was in Kyiv, said he witnessed the aftermath and was struck by the damage.
The strikes come as Ukraine continues to face shortages of interceptors while Russia intensifies its air campaign against cities and critical infrastructure.
