Russian attacks kill 6 in Kyiv, other cities; expose gaps in Ukraine’s air defences
Moscow has increased its use of ballistic missiles in recent weeks to thwart Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities deep within Russia, which have caused critical fuel shortages affecting both military and civilian populations.
US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot, the most effective way to intercept Russian ballistic missiles and potentially strengthen Kiev’s defenses.
But details and timeline remain unclear, and full production could take years.
The final attack on Kiev began at around 1.30 in the morning and continued for several hours, with explosions echoing throughout the city.
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 drones across Ukraine overnight. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most of the missiles targeted the capital.
Later Sunday, three people were killed and at least 20 injured in a Russian attack on a postal facility near Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, according to the regional government. Local authorities and Ukrainian emergency services reported that Russian-guided bombs also hit the cities of Kherson and Sumy, killing at least one person in each attack.
Ballistic missile attacks are becoming more frequent
According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, strikes against Kiev caused fires in five regions, damaging residential buildings, office and industrial facilities, dormitories and vehicles.
Viktoria Shejko, 32, was taking shelter in the hallway of her apartment building with her seven children and husband when she heard loud explosions.
“When the alarm went off, we checked for ballistics, then we went to the corridor. Then the missiles started exploding one after another,” he said.
The tension of constant bombardment is “psychologically very difficult,” he said. “It used to happen once a week or less often, but now it’s every other day, if not every day.”
Rescuers rescued four people from a burning house in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while in the Shevchenkivskyi district they rushed to save residents from a burning three-storey building. One person was found dead. Firefighters also responded to fires in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro regions.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed responsibility for the attack on sites linked to the Ukrainian military targeted in Kiev, which included facilities producing Flamingo drones and Neptune guided missile parts, as well as a postal terminal used for the storage of dual-use goods and the assembly of unmanned aerial vehicles, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment.
Oil tankers crash into important terminal off Russian coast
Separately, the CPC said on Sunday that an attack on two oil tankers at Russia’s Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal off the Black Sea had halted oil loadings in the region.
The attack on ASIA and NISSOS tankers in the port of Novorossiysk led to a fire on ASIA, which was extinguished. The company did not disclose who was responsible for the attack.
He added that there was no loss of life or oil spill and that the tankers, sailing under the flags of Liberia and the Marshall Islands respectively, remained afloat.
Last week, both Russia and Ukraine sharply increased attacks on ships in the Black and Azov seas. Ukraine says the Kremlin is targeting Russia’s so-called stay-behind fleet, which transports oil in violation of international sanctions for invading its neighbour.
Kiev has been targeting Russia’s oil industry for months, saying it is both directly fueling Moscow’s war effort and financing it with export revenues, triggering severe fuel shortages in the country, one of the world’s largest oil producers.
CPC is a 940-mile (1,510 km) long oil pipeline connecting Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea oil fields to Novorossiysk, where oil is loaded by tanker and transported to world markets.
The pipeline accounts for about 80 percent of oil-rich Kazakhstan’s crude exports; The Russian government and Russian state oil companies hold a total stake of 31 percent in the enterprise.
Russia’s energy sector is under attack
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that Ukrainian units had attacked more energy infrastructure on Russian territory.
He said units of the Ukrainian Security Service hit three oil depots in the Stavropol region, while a separate army unit hit another fuel-related facility in the same area. He also said three Russian tankers were hit in the Black Sea.
Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov had previously stated that Ukrainian drone attacks had caused fires at “industrial facilities” in two areas of the region. He did not specify the facilities but said no one was injured.
Russian news outlet Astra claimed on Sunday that three oil depots may be burning in Stavropol, based on analysis of photos and videos sent by locals following the attack.
The Russian defense ministry said Russian air defense systems had shot down 140 Ukrainian drones by Sunday in eight Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. It was not stated how many were launched or reached their targets.
In Russia’s Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian drones crashed into four apartment buildings, causing a fire and injuring one person, according to local Governor Alexander Khinshtein.
