The Ukrainian Air Force raised the alarm over incoming ballistic missiles at around 1.30am local time, with Kyiv military officials asking civilians to head to shelters a minute later. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported "explosions" as Russia pounded the capital.
Photographer Yan Dobronosov posted images showing wounded people lying on the streets and cars gutted by explosions and fires. "Some residents of Kyiv did not even have time to reach the shelter," he said.
Fires and damage across the city
One of the blasts sparked a fire in a six-storey building in the Solomyanskyi district, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X. "There were many fires in the city – seven districts were affected. And, as usual, the Russians hit ordinary residential buildings," he wrote. "Eighteen houses, a school, the Lithuanian embassy and infrastructure facilities were damaged."
Two people died in the Solomianskyi blaze, which also injured eight, including two children. Elsewhere, people were trapped in a burning building in Shevchenko, and debris flattened non-residential buildings in Holosiivske and Darnytske.
Air defence shortages
About five years into Russia's war, Zelensky warned Ukraine's air defence system is dwindling, and Moscow is aware of it, having launched dozens of aerial assaults this summer. Ukraine has only a few Patriot interceptors – the only kind capable of dealing with Kremlin-built missiles – which, he said, is "encouraging Russia to launch attacks that take human lives".
"It is critical that partners hear that these capabilities are needed not somewhere in stockpiles for hypothetical scenarios, but here and now, to contain and stop the Russian war in Ukraine." He added: "Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties. I thank everyone who is working to strengthen our defences."
Second major attack in a week
This is the second major assault on Kyiv this week, after missiles killed nine people on Thursday, including six members of one family. During that attack, a Russian cruise missile entered the airspace of Nato member Poland; Polish officials described it as an "unidentified object" that left a nine-metre-wide crater in a field in the country's southeast.
Since only the US can make Patriot interceptor missiles, Ukraine has asked Washington for a licence to produce its own. US President Donald Trump, who vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war "on day one" of his re-election, said talks on the matter were "ongoing" on Friday.
Washington, he cautioned, had to be "very careful about letting somebody build them". He added: "We're talking about it, but it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology. And I don't think this would ever happen, but, you know, there's people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you."
