At least 12 killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv and its surroundings

At least 12 people were killed in overnight Russian strikes targeting Kyiv and its surroundings on Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on his partners to provide his country with more defensive capabilities against ballistic missiles.

Overnight, the sounds of approximately ten successive explosions were heard, and flashes of light were seen in the sky over the Ukrainian capital, following a warning of a ballistic missile attack issued by the military.

More than four years into its invasion, Russia continues its strikes, particularly using ballistic missiles that Kyiv struggles to intercept due to a shortage of interceptor missiles.

Zelenskyy said, “A total of 12 people were killed, including an Indian citizen, while dozens were injured,” adding that “a large number of drones and ballistic missiles were used in the attack.”

He continued, “I am grateful to everyone helping Ukraine acquire defensive capabilities” against ballistic missiles, emphasizing that “it is very important to increase these shipments during the coming autumn.”

In Borodyanka, located about 30 kilometers from the capital, four people were killed and 13 injured after a “five-story residential building” was targeted, according to Zelenskyy.

In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced via social media that “eight people were killed and five injured, including two children.”

According to the Kyiv regional prosecutor’s office, seven railway employees were killed.

The Ukrainian Air Force, which no longer cites the exact number of Russian missiles launched during attacks, stated that it intercepted five ballistic missiles, five cruise missiles, and two hybrid Pандерol missiles.

It also noted that Russia launched 218 drones of various types, clarifying that it intercepted 187 of them.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, for its part, announced that it carried out “a major air strike overnight using long-range, high-precision weapons and drones.”

Moscow stated that it targeted “facilities belonging to the military-industrial complex and fuel and energy companies in Kyiv and its surroundings, which produce missile and drone systems and their components, as well as supplying the Ukrainian Armed Forces with fuels.”

Russian forces also targeted a train depot in a suburb of the capital, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The ministry announced that it targeted facilities in the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk.

Ukraine suffers from a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly American Patriot missiles, to defend itself against the increasing number of Russian ballistic missiles.

On Friday night, Russia targeted an ammunition depot in Melnyk, a suburb of Kyiv, where drones and explosives were stored in a residential area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the deaths of 38 people, injuries to 20 others, and four missing.

In Russia, a fire broke out at the Ust-Luga port on the Gulf of Finland, which was targeted by a drone attack, according to Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko on Tuesday.

Drozdenko wrote on Telegram, “Damage was detected in the Ust-Luga port area following the drone attack, while a fire is still burning.” He later added that 52 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the region, with no casualties reported.

It is worth noting that this port, a key facility for Russia’s exports of fertilizers, oil, and coal, has been the target of repeated Ukrainian drone attacks in recent months.