At least 21 people have been killed in a Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying the delivery of more missile interceptors “could have saved lives”.
Kyiv and the surrounding region suffered the deadliest overnight strikes recorded there this year, with 17 people reported dead. One person was killed in Kharkiv and three others died in Donetsk.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked its allies to provide additional US-made Patriot missile interceptors, which are designed to defend against Russian ballistic missiles. No interceptions of the missiles fired during the overnight attack were reported by Ukrainian authorities.
Mr Zelensky said delays in the arrival of anti-ballistic defence systems from international partners had resulted in “horrific casualties and destruction”. He later said the supply of interceptors from allies had been “significantly reduced” this year.
The Ukrainian president’s comments came after a large-scale assault involving missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 24 ballistic missiles and four anti-ship missiles during the attack on the capital.
A further 115 drones were used, the air force said, adding that Ukrainian air defence systems had intercepted 98 of them.
The Russian defence ministry said its forces had targeted logistics hubs and supply centres in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
“These centres were involved in the storage, delivery of various weapons and military supplies, as well as in the production and distribution of unmanned aerial vehicles,” it said.
Russia’s ministry also claimed that three cargo vessels near the Black Sea port of Odesa had been hit while “transporting weapons and military equipment”.
There was significant damage in and around Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said residential buildings, a railway station and warehouses had been struck, while emergency workers feared that people could still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Ukraine’s emergency services reported that one person had died in Kyiv and at least 16 others had been injured. In the wider Kyiv region, 16 people were reported dead and 29 injured.
Fires continued to burn at five sites across the region on Wednesday. The affected area covered approximately 230,000 sq m, according to the emergency services.
In Kharkiv, one person was killed and several others injured by Russian shelling, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. One of those injured was in a critical condition.
Three people were killed and 27 injured in Donetsk, governor Vadym Filashkin said.
The latest attack adds to Ukraine’s long-running calls for stronger air defences from its international partners. Kyiv has argued that additional Patriot systems and interceptors are essential to protecting cities and critical infrastructure from Russian ballistic missile attacks, which are difficult to stop once launched.
