Russia launched a massive barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Kyiv overnight into Saturday, killing at least nine civilians and wounding 33 others in what Ukrainian officials described as the second major attack on the capital in 48 hours.
The attack targeted residential buildings, a school, and the Lithuanian Embassy in central Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Eighteen residential buildings sustained damage in the assault, which saw waves of drones followed by ballistic missiles aimed at the heart of the Ukrainian capital.
Zelenskyy said only one ballistic missile was intercepted during the attack, citing a critical shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. The Ukrainian leader renewed his urgent appeal to the United States for additional air defense systems, saying the shortage only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives.
Kyiv’s military administration reported that the assault was the second large-scale attack on the city within two days, following an earlier raid on Thursday. The attacks have pushed Kyiv into what military analysts describe as a full-fledged frontline city due to the frequency and intensity of aerial assaults.
The death toll rose throughout Saturday as rescue workers dug through rubble. Among the dead were members of a single family, according to local authorities. Emergency services worked through the night to free people trapped under debris in several neighborhoods across the city.
The timing of the attack appeared to be a direct retaliation for Ukraine’s overnight strikes on three oil refineries in Bashkortostan and the sinking of the Rosatom-controlled container ship Yanina in the Black Sea. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not explicitly link the two operations, but military analysts noted the strike was launched within hours of Ukraine’s deep raids.
Ukraine’s new military chief, Oleksandr Drapatyi, who was appointed in late July with a mandate to escalate retaliatory operations, has overseen a significant increase in long-range strikes against Russian territory. Ukraine claims to have recaptured approximately 700 square kilometers of its own territory this year while simultaneously expanding its deep-strike campaign.
The Kyiv attack drew swift international condemnation. European leaders called for increased air defense support to Ukraine, while the United States faced renewed pressure to accelerate delivery of Patriot missile systems that Kyiv has been requesting for months.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Washington Times, AP News
Author: Ukraine Desk
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