Russia missile and drone strike kills two and wounds 19 in Ukraine
Russian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones hit Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring 19, as Ukraine seeks additional air-defence munitions.
Russian forces launched a coordinated attack on Ukraine on Saturday, employing six ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and 121 drones. The strikes hit Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv, resulting in two deaths and 19 injuries, including eleven wounded in the capital.
In Kyiv, civilian infrastructure was damaged before the air-raid alert sounded. > "Our defenders managed to shoot down most of the targets, but not the ballistic ones," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, urging allies to expedite the delivery of air-defence support agreed at the recent NATO summit.
Ukraine’s air force reported downing at least two cruise missiles and 111 drones, but said it could not intercept the faster ballistic missiles. The missile strike in Odesa killed two people and wounded another, while a drone attack on a civilian site in Kharkiv injured seven.
Ukraine, which reports a shortage of Patriot interceptor munitions, has asked partners for additional supplies and for cooperation on its own anti-ballistic system. > U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Ukraine will receive a licence to produce Patriot interceptors, and Zelenskyy called for the projects to proceed "as swiftly as possible."
The attacks come amid a recent increase in Russian strikes on Kyiv, which have killed more than 60 people this month, and follow Ukrainian drone operations that targeted fuel tankers and cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov.