Russia struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region with a massive barrage of drones and missiles in an hours-long night attack that killed 16 people, officials said Thursday.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it hit military-industrial sites in and around Kyiv that manufactured long-range drone and cruise missile components, as well as supply depots. They also said Ukraine launched its own mass drone raid the same night, claiming that Russian air defenses shot down 726 drones over 20 regions.
The attack is part of the increasing number of Russian ballistic missile strikes targeting Kyiv in recent months, as Moscow has been exploiting Ukraine’s severe shortage of U.S-made Patriot air defense interceptors. According to the United Nations, Kyiv was the hardest hit Ukrainian city in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded with countries to send more Patriot interceptors, which is the only weapon system in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of neutralizing Russian ballistic missiles. However, global stockpiles are limited, with the United States in particular having burned through most of its arsenal in Iran. Several EU member states, such as Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, claim their stocks are “too low” to give away.
US President Donald Trump stated in July that he would give Ukraine a license to domestically manufacture them, but later backtracked and expressed hesitancy.
Ukraine has renewed its own long-distance strikes against Russia, including against oil refineries in Nizhnekamsk and Volna, and hit Moscow in a recent attack involving over 600 drones. Ukraine has also been targeting facilities operated by Wildberries, a major Russian retailer, in an effort to disrupt Russian society and military supply.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated Thursday that “The Russian Armed Forces will respond proportionately to emerging threats” and that “Escalation is not our choice.”
The attack occurred amidst the ongoing political crisis concerning Zelenskyy’s controversial dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which has sparked widespread protests. Fedorov recently spoke on a YouTube video calling for presidential elections in Ukraine, increasing pressure on Zelenskyy whose government is already dealing with multiple corruption allegations.
