At least three people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded after Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kyiv overnight into Saturday, local officials said, in another strike that placed renewed pressure on Ukraine’s air defence capacity.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on Telegram that debris damaged a five-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district, where a fire broke out in the courtyard and people were believed to remain trapped. Emergency crews were also responding to damage in other parts of the capital.
In the Shevchenkivskyi district, Klitschko said people were reported to be trapped after the first and second floors of another residential building partially collapsed. In the Darnytskyi district, warehouse buildings were on fire following the attack, according to the mayor.
The casualty figures were preliminary and could change as rescue operations continued. Ukrainian authorities have frequently reported that falling debris from intercepted missiles and drones can cause extensive damage in urban areas, particularly when strikes take place at night and residents are inside their homes.
The attack on Kyiv came two days after a wider Russian missile and drone assault across Ukraine killed 10 civilians and injured more than 50 others, according to Ukrainian officials. That earlier strike also drew wider regional attention after reports that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace, underscoring the risks posed by repeated attacks near NATO territory.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued to press Ukraine’s partners for additional air defence systems, with a particular focus on Patriot batteries and interceptor missiles capable of targeting ballistic missiles. Kyiv has said such systems are essential to limiting civilian casualties and protecting infrastructure from Russian strikes.
Late on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with US Vice President JD Vance and discussed his meeting earlier in the week in Washington with President Donald Trump, which he described as “positive and productive”. In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian president said Russian air strikes were continuing and that interceptors for Patriot systems remained a leading priority.
The question of further US air defence support remains under discussion in Washington. At a NATO summit in Ankara in July, Trump said the United States would give Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot systems. Speaking on Friday during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, however, he said he had not yet made a final decision on the matter.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones since its full scale invasion began, while Ukraine has relied on a combination of domestic systems and Western supplied air defences to reduce the impact of the attacks. The latest strike on Kyiv is likely to keep air defence assistance high on the agenda in Ukraine’s talks with the United States and other partners.
