Russian attacks kill six in Kyiv and other cities
Russia’s attack on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles, drones and guided bombs, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, has once again highlighted Ukraine’s shortage of US-made Patriot air defense systems.
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. However, the details and timeline remain unclear.
The latest attack on Kiev began around 1.30am on Sunday and lasted 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 Zelenskiy said most of the missiles were aimed at the capital and “that’s why Putin still believes in his war.”
“It is very important that our partners understand what is happening and understand that air defense missiles are needed to protect lives literally every day. It is important to step things up, both with our European partners and with the United States,” he said in his overnight speech. he said.
Later Sunday, three people were killed and at least 20 were injured in a Russian attack on a postal facility near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Russian-guided bombs also hit the cities of Kherson and Sumy, killing at least one person in each attack, local officials and Ukrainian emergency services reported.
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.
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.
Separately, the CPC said an attack on two oil tankers at Russia’s Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal off the Black Sea had halted oil loadings in the region.
The attack on tankers ASIA and NISSOS in the port of Novorossiysk caused a fire in ASIA.
The company did not disclose who was responsible for the attack. Last week, both Russia and Ukraine sharply increased attacks on ships in the Black and Azov seas.
Ukraine’s attacks on oil tankers are part of Russia’s efforts to cut off fuel supplies to the Crimean Peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014. Kiev says it is also targeting Russia’s so-called stay-behind fleet, which transports oil in violation of international sanctions for the Kremlin’s invasion of 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.
Zelenskiy announced that Ukrainian troops were attacking 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 unit of the army hit another fuel-related facility in the same area. Three Russian tankers were also hit in the Black Sea.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 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.
