Russia launched one of its biggest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, a five-hour assault that left at least six people dead and dozens injured, Ukrainian officials said. The capital was hit with about 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles, with air raid sirens sounding at 1.30am and again at 6.30am.
In Kyiv, a three-storey building caught fire in the central Shevchenkivskyi district, and rescuers recovered one body. Four other areas were hit, with fires reported at offices, residential buildings, and a dormitory. The Lukianivska metro station was temporarily closed after its ceiling collapsed due to a blast wave. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported seven people wounded in the capital.
Separately, a Russian missile strike on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain near Odesa killed six crew members, with four more missing. The vessel, the Golden Leo flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, was hit by three cruise missiles as it left the combat zone. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew included Syrian and Indian nationals.
Another Russian attack on a postal facility near Kharkiv killed three people and wounded at least 20, according to regional authorities. Guided missiles also hit Kherson and Sumy, each leaving at least one person dead. Ukraine’s military reported shooting down 18 missiles and 108 drones during the attacks.
The assaults come as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised the need for anti-ballistic defences, stating that interceptors are needed daily. Washington and Kyiv have reached a political agreement on licences to produce Patriot interceptors, but stocks remain low. The attacks also coincide with large anti-government protests in Kyiv over the sacking of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
