Russia launches major ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, one killed, 16 injured

Russia launched a major overnight missile attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, involving ballistic missiles, Ukrainian officials said.

Moscow launched the largest number of ballistic missiles — around four dozen — ‌in ⁠a ⁠single attack since the ​start of its full-scale war, ​Kyiv's acting foreign ​minister ‌said on Sunday.

"We urge ​appropriate ⁠and strong responses. We ⁠need devastating ​pressure on Moscow to end this terror," Andrii Sybiha ‌wrote on X.

At least one person was killed and 16 others injured, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy wrote on X, reiterating the country's need for anti-ballistic interceptors.

"Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now. Interceptors are needed every day, and I am grateful to everyone who takes our agreements seriously and ensures the delivery of anti-ballistic capabilities," he said.

What do we know about the latest attacks?

The attack began at around 1:30 a.m. local time (22:30 GMT, Saturday), continued for several hours.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 18 ‌out ⁠of ⁠41 missiles launched ​by Russia overnight, according to ​Kyiv's air force. It said 23 ‌missiles and 10 ‌drones ​had hit 20 locations during the ​attack, which was aimed ⁠primarily ​at Kyiv.

About 108 ‌out of ​125 ⁠Russian drones had also ⁠been downed.

Witnesses on the ground reported hearing several explosions, including those from air defense systems. An AFP journalist reported that one of the explosions was so powerful that it set off car alarms across the city center.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said several fires had been reported across the city in residential and non-residential areas. Fires broke out at a dormitory, a residential block and at a supermarket, he said in a series of posts on Telegram, adding that emergency services had been deployed.

Rescue workers pulled four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while in the Shevchenkivskyi district they rescued residents from a burning three-story building.

Russia's latest strikes come a day after Ukraine sent attack drones to destroy e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing at least eight people and causing major fires. On the same day, Russian strikes killed at least two people in Ukraine.

Countering Russia's attacks

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is well into its fifth year.

Both sides have regularly resorted to drone strikes, but Moscow is increasingly using ballistic missiles aimed at Kyiv and other locations across Ukraine. That's at a time when Kyiv has warned of dwindling stocks of interceptor missiles used to block Russian ballistic missiles.

US President Donald Trump recently said he was prepared to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, potentially bolstering Kyiv’s defenses against Russian ballistic missile attacks.

However, the details and timeline for implementing the decision remain unclear.