At least 14 people were killed in a wave of Russian ballistic missile and drone strikes across Ukraine on Thursday, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned from Washington and warned publicly that Russia was preparing a massive attack based on satellite intelligence his government had gathered.
The strikes hit multiple regions simultaneously. In Kyiv, one person was killed and two others wounded. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, six people died, including two children, while a separate strike on Poltava killed one person. In Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Russia’s Voronezh region struck a residential area, killing six people including girls aged five and 12, according to regional officials. In Lviv, in western Ukraine, 26 people were wounded as the city’s air defenses worked to intercept incoming munitions.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed into Polish airspace during the barrage, calling it a clear violation of NATO territory. Polish authorities said the object came down near Tarnawa Kolonia, a village roughly 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and Poland scrambled fighter jets while opening an investigation into the incursion. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was in contact with NATO command and other European leaders “regarding the violation of Polish airspace,” adding that “everyone declares full solidarity and readiness for any assistance.”
Zelenskyy had warned hours before the strikes that intelligence indicated Moscow was readying a large-scale bombardment, and he used the attack’s aftermath to renew his call for more advanced Western air defense systems. “There is only one reason why this continues: Russia does not want a ceasefire, and we see it,” Zelenskyy said, according to reporting on the strikes. “Every missile, every strike drone proves that Russia only wants war.”
The barrage came just a day after Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, where the Ukrainian leader pressed for a license allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, citing a critical shortage of PAC-3 interceptors needed to stop Russian ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials have said repeatedly that the country’s ability to protect its cities depends heavily on the pace at which Western partners deliver or help produce additional interceptors.
Russia’s overnight assault reportedly involved 284 drones and 70 missiles, including nine ballistic missiles, according to figures cited in coverage of the attack, illustrating the scale of the barrage even as Ukrainian air defense crews worked to intercept as many incoming threats as possible.
The attack, and the missile incursion into Poland in particular, is likely to intensify pressure on NATO members to reassess air defense cooperation along the alliance’s eastern flank, a recurring flashpoint given the proximity of western Ukrainian cities such as Lviv to Polish territory.
Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, Newsy Today
Author: Pulse Of Nations Wire Desk
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