Zelenskyy blames allies over air defences after deadly Russian missile attack

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed allies for not delivering air defences fast enough after Ukraine failed to down a single Russian missile in a deadly overnight attack that killed at least 17 people and ⁠injured dozens more.

Preliminary data from the Ukrainian air force showed its defences shot down 98 of the 115 drones fired by Russia overnight but no ballistic missiles.

“Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction.”

Kyiv has been pleading for months for more US-made Patriot interceptors while under intensifying attack. Last month Donald Trump suggested the US might grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriots, but later he appeared to backtrack, telling reporters that the underlying technology was “a hard thing to give away”.

Ukraine’s military administration said seven sites were hit in an assault that began on Wednesday after midnight. Zelenskyy said the main targets were warehouse facilities belonging to civilian businesses, including a brewing company and construction materials warehouses.

“Partners who are not yet ready to play a more active role in supplying interceptors can help by implementing new sanctions. A significant share of Russia’s ballistic missile production is still not under sanctions,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Even now. New steps are needed – from the G7, the European Union, and everyone who supports the protection of life. Thank you to those who are willing to help in this way.”

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said: “There may still be people ​under the rubble.” Rescuers pulled two people from the ruins of a warehouse near the city centre ‌that was destroyed in the attack.

An ambulance driver was among the 24 injured and four people were in a critical condition, Klitschko added.

He ‌said the attack set off fires in warehouses and storage areas. A ‌large fire broke out on the city’s outskirts and debris from a fallen missile landed beside a residential building.

The Kyiv military administration said the attack caused an ammonia leak that emergency crews were tackling.

Witnesses heard explosions throughout the city. Klitschko said ⁠air defence units went to work against the assault.

One journalist reported dark smoke and the acrid smell of burning lingering in the air hours later. Natalia Reutska, who lives in Kyiv, told AFP: “The night was so terrifying, so hard. We’ve gotten used to waking up thinking ‘we were lucky today’, and that’s very scary.”

Kyiv can intercept the vast majority of drones but relies on supplies from allies to counter missiles.

The Russian defence ministry said it had hit logistic hubs and supply centres in Kyiv and surrounding areas, claiming they were for military purposes. Russia’s military has an extensive history of striking purely civilian targets in Ukraine and committing anti-civilian atrocities.

In Russia on Tuesday, Ukraine hit logistics hubs for the online retailer Wildberries, adding to ​more than a dozen ​it had attacked recently.